Key facts
- White said he was at a Zuffa Boxing fight in London when Trump called him about the offer.
- Trump said he floated White's name during a difficult press day and the story was written as though he was not kidding.
- White said he never explicitly told Trump no regarding the position.
- Trump said he favors a posthumous pardon for baseball player Pete Rose, who died in 2024.
UFC CEO Dana White took the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on November 9, 2026, alongside President Donald Trump, and told reporters he has no plans to enter government.
"I have zero political aspirations," White said. He said he was at a fight for Zuffa Boxing in London when Trump called to tell him he had made the offer, and that the previous 24 hours had been "insane." White said he never explicitly told Trump no.
Trump told the briefing he had raised White's name during "a very bad press day" and was "sort of kidding," but that the story was written as though he was not. According to CBS12, Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that White had been offered the press secretary job, and said in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday that he was only kidding.
Asked about a hypothetical fight between Trump and former President Joe Biden, White called Trump "the toughest, most resilient human being" he has met. Trump also said during the briefing that he favors a posthumous pardon for baseball player Pete Rose, who died in 2024.