Trump By His Side, UFC Chief Dana White Declines White House Job Offer

New Delhi: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White on Monday turned down US President Donald Trump's offer of a job as White House press secretary, saying he doesn't want to be in politics.White's rejection came during a surprise appearance at the White House alongside Trump, who on Saturday stunned the world after he said he had offered the press secretary job to the 57-year-old cage-fighting boss. Trump, however, a day later, said he was joking."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 his long-time friend White during a news conference in the James Brady Briefing Room."Thank you for the offer, sir... I do not want to be in politics," White responded.READ | Did Trump Pick Wrong Dana White For Press Secretary? Internet Is ConvincedTrump walked out of the room, saying, "I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everybody.""He's a great guy," the president told reporters."The only problem is he'll talk for a little while, and then he's going to beat the hell out of you," he added.Press Secretary @danawhite's first briefing 🤣 https://t.co/ycBrlqKqgX— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2026Wearing a black t-shirt and jacket, White opened with his traditional "who has the first question"."I've always wanted to do this. Who has the first question?" he joked before adding, "I have zero political aspirations."READ | Trump's Job Offer To Dana White Puts Spotlight On Their 25-Year FriendshipHe said that "the last 24 hours of my life have been insane" since Trump made the announcement on social media.Asked by a journalist to confirm he had said no to the job, White said, "I don't tell the president 'no' to anything... I didn't want to be disrespectful and say anything until he said something first."“We were having a very bad press day, and I said, I don't know why, I thought of his name. He's been my friend for a long time. I think I'll be going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary… I was sort of kidding," Trump said.White was also asked about a match between Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden."It would be very bad for Biden," he replied.In a social media post on Saturday, Trump asked White to accept his offer, writing, "Dana, please take the job!"He also called him a "violent fighter and warrior" and suggested he bring along several fighters as assistants, three of whom were not Americans.READ | Before Trump's Dana White "Mix-Up", There Was A 2020 Four Seasons Slip-UpOn Sunday, he said the inclusion of the fighters "from parts unknown" was how the public should have known it was a joke."Of course I was kidding, and you could see that because I put all of the great fighters as his assistants," he said.Did Trump Pick Wrong Dana White?Trump's announcement took social media by storm, with many users saying he picked up the wrong Dana White.One of the most widely shared posts came from Spencer T Hakimian, founder of New York-based hedge fund Tolou Capital Management, who posted a video about Dana W White, a former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.In the video, he joked, "I guarantee you 100%, somebody recommended her to Trump and he mistook her for the UFC's Dana White and now we all are in this mess."American journalist and podcast host Vitus Spehar also made the same claim."How bad do you think Donald Trump is gonna flip out when he realises that the Dana White being proposed as the next Press Secretary for him is not Dana White, the UFC President," V Spehar wrote on Instagram.The press secretary role has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16 after less than a week on the job.(With agency inputs)