President Donald Trump invited UFC CEO Dana White to the White House press briefing room on Monday. Trump jokingly offered White the press secretary role, but the executive declined the position. "I do not want to be in politics, no," White said. Trump later admitted he was just kidding.
President Donald Trump invited UFC CEO Dana White to the White House press briefing room Monday, ending a bizarre episode in which Trump floated White as a potential press secretary before claiming that the idea was never a serious proposal.
"Dana, would you like to be press secretary of the United States of America?" Trump said near the end of the news conference. He added: "Would you like that or do you just want to stay with this ridiculous UFC?"
"Thank you for the offer, sir," White answered, adding: "I do not want to be in politics, no."
"I am devastated to hear this," Trump responded.
According to Roll Call, it was the first event by Trump in the press briefing room in more than six months.
Trump said he had been "having fun" with the idea of making White his press secretary, as he mentioned the UFC 334 card scheduled for Saturday at Madison Square Garden, White's next big marquee mixed martial arts event.
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Donald Trump on Dana White as press secretary: 'Of course, I was kidding'
Trump said the UFC CEO is coming to the White House on Monday, but "for other reasons" than the joke job offer.
The event will feature a bout between Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison, whom Trump called "the two greatest women fighters of all time as far as I'm concerned."
"I would not want to fight them," Trump said, before turning to White. "How would I do against one of them? Would I do well? I don't think so."
"Not well, sir," White responded.
White also took the podium to answer questions, saying he had always wanted to do so despite having no "political aspirations."
He discussed several topics, including how the press secretary idea came about and who would win a bout between Trump and President Joe Biden.
Trump also answered a question about the late Pete Rose by saying he would be willing to pardon the deceased MLB star who died without joining the Baseball Hall of Fame. Trump has made that pledge previously and has pushed for MLB's career hits leader to be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y.
"I'd give Pete Rose a pardon," Trump said. "I think Pete Rose was very mistreated. ... he was caught gambling. And now it's legal. And he was gambling on his own team, Dana, he wasn't gambling against. That's different."
White said pardoning Rose, who died in 2024 at the age of 83, seemed "fair."
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred removed Rose and all other deceased players from MLB's permanently ineligible list in May 2025, making him eligible for election to the Hall of Fame. The 15-year window for voters to elect Rose is long past, though he could still be considered by the 16-person Historical Overview Committee, needing 12 votes to be enshrined.