If President Donald Trump holds a grudge against Dave Portnoy because of the Barstool Sports founder’s recent criticism of his administration, it wasn’t evident on Saturday night.
Both Trump and Portnoy attended the UFC 314 pay-per-view at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. In a video posted by Portnoy, the two can be seen shaking hands and sharing a brief embrace before the Boston native whispered something to the 45th and 47th president, which elicited a visible smile and laugh from Trump.
What did Portnoy say? According to his post, he complimented the former star of The Apprentice on his recent legislation regarding water pressure, a cause near and dear to the Barstool honcho’s heart. Perhaps more noteworthy, he also told Trump he’d love to have him on his daily Davey Day Trader stream.
Told @realDonaldTrump I loved the water pressure legislation and told him I’d love to have him on #ddtg. pic.twitter.com/3m2NUpHTlb
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) April 13, 2025
While it’s unclear whether Trump was receptive to Portnoy’s invite, such an appearance would attract no shortage of attention. After all, Davey Day Trader is the platform Portnoy has primarily used to criticize the current administration’s implementation of tariffs and the ensuing effect on the economy in recent weeks.
The 48-year-old referred to this past Monday’s stock market crash as “Orange Monday” while criticizing Trump for playing golf throughout the previous weekend. Factor in his previous criticism of the administration’s Signal chat war leaks, and Portnoy has emerged as the rare Trump supporter willing to publicly take the president to task.
Portnoy — who previously interviewed Trump at the White House during his first term — even went as far as to tell CNN earlier this week that he could even envision himself voting Democrat, insisting, “I was never some crazy MAGA guy.”
One might suspect Portnoy’s recent commentary would make him an enemy of Trump, but if their interaction on Saturday was any indication, that doesn’t appear to be the case. As such, it will be interesting to see whether the president takes “El Presidente” up on his offer and what such an appearance would mean for Dave Portnoy’s growing political influence.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.