Meta has appointed to its board Dana White, UFC cage-match tycoon and an ally of President-elect Donald Trump as Silicon Valley wants to build closer ties with the White House less than two weeks before the new administration begins.

The appointment of the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship was confirmed days after Sir Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at the social media empire, decided to leave and hand over his duties to Joel Kaplan, who previously served as deputy chief of staff in the White House during President George W. Bush’s administration, and is known for handling the company’s relations with Republicans. Kaplan’s previous role at Meta was that of vice-president of public policy.

White has been a supporter of Trump when he was campaigning last year and he even spoke on his election night. The 55-year-old is also a friend of Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, whose interest in martial arts is well-known.

In 2023, Zuckerberg tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a sparring session that would have led to a competitive MMA fight. The same year, Zuckerberg and Tesla chief Elon Musk traded digital barbs and appeared willing to fight each other in a cage match that White would help produce. Ultimately, the fight didn’t take place.

White has also contributed to Trump’s campaign strategy, encouraging him to work with online influencers who appealed to men under 35.

The new appointee to the Meta board was enmeshed in controversy two years ago after a video published by TMZ showed him slapping his wife at a New Year’s Eve party. White later issued a public apology.

The appointment comes as the traditionally Democrat-leaning Silicon Valley prepares for a second Trump presidency and many tech giants are contributing to Trump’s inaugural fund. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has donated $1 million and so have tech giants Amazon and Meta. Jeff Bezos and Trump have clashed over the years and the President-elect criticised the Amazon founder over reporting in The Washington Post, which is owned by Bezos. Recently, Bezos has praised Trump on social media and said he was “very optimistic” about the incoming administration.

Zuckerberg also met Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Earlier, Trump had been critical of Meta’s social media platforms, saying they censor conservative viewpoints. Trump was temporarily banned from Facebook and Instagram in 2021 over claims that he used the platforms to incite a mob attack on the Capitol.