'Thank you for the offer. I do not want to be in politics': Dana White turns down Trump's White House press secretary offer

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White has declined President Donald Trump's apparently lighthearted offer to become the White House press secretary during a surprise appearance at the White House on Monday. Trump stunned the public on Saturday when he announced on social media that he had asked White to take up the high-profile position. However, a day later, the 80-year-old president clarified that he was ‘only kidding’.

White, 57, visited the White House on Monday, where Trump brought him into the James Brady Briefing Room for an unexpected and chaotic news conference. "So let me ask you the big question. Would you like to be press secretary of the United States of America? Or do you just want to stay with this ridiculous UFC? Huh?" Trump asked. "Thank you for the offer, sir, for the offer, I have no, no, I do not want to be in politics," White responded.

Trump smiled before leaving the room, saying: “I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everybody.” The position of White House press secretary has remained vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16, less than a week after taking up the role. Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, who was known for her combative approach, departed in August after serving for a year and a half.

Trump's announcement that he had offered the prominent position to ‘violent Fighter and Warrior’ White had fuelled speculation that he was considering a more aggressive approach following the Republican Party's unexpected defeat in the midterm elections. White has been a long-time friend of Trump and helped organise a major UFC event on the White House lawn earlier this year. However, the president's announcement also attracted scepticism, with Trump confirming on Sunday night that he had been joking.

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'Beat the hell out of you'

While introducing White at the podium on Monday, Trump acknowledged that he had been ‘having a little fun’. "He's a great guy," Trump told the room full of reporters. “The only problem is he'll talk for a little while and then he's going to beat the hell out of you.” White stood at the lectern wearing a black T-shirt and jacket, appearing more accustomed to the UFC octagon, the arena used for mixed martial arts fights.

"I've always wanted to do this. Who has the first question?" he joked, before quickly adding: “I have zero political aspirations.” White also said that "the last 24 hours of my life has been insane" following Trump's announcement. When a journalist asked him to confirm whether he had rejected the offer, White replied: "I don't tell the president 'no' to anything... I didn't want to be disrespectful and say anything until he said something first."

Trump subsequently took questions from reporters on several major issues, including the Iran and Ukraine wars, the possibility of impeaching Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, and a spy scandal involving Nvidia chief Jensen Huang.