Donald Trump jokes hes devastated after Dana White rules out White House

UFC CEO Dana White made his much-discussed visit to the White House on Monday, where he joined U.S. President Donald Trump for a press briefing and officially turned down the president's tongue-in-cheek offer to become his new press secretary.

Following a bizarre weekend in which Trump appeared to float the open role of White House press secretary to the UFC boss in a Truth Social post, only to admit a day later that he was "only kidding, but Dana loves the idea,” Trump and White put the discussion to rest to close out a joint press briefing with the two in the nation’s capital.

Trump: “So let me ask you the big question. Dana, would you like to be press secretary of the United States of America. Look at the sign — you’d have this behind all the time, ‘The White House, Washington.’ Would you like that or do you just want to stay with this ridiculous UFC?”

White: “Thank you for the offer, sir. I do not want to be in politics.”

Trump: “I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everyone.”

White briefly took questions from reporters during the press appearance, after which Trump explained how the peculiar situation first arose.

“We were having a very bad press day and I don’t know why, I thought of his name,” Trump said. “He’s been a friend for a long time. I said, ‘I think I’m going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary.’ I said it to a group of the press and that was it. I was sort of kidding.

“Then they wrote the stories as though I wasn’t kidding, and then [White] was inundated and I was inundated. He was here anyway and we thought we’d have a little fun and we brought Dana here. He would be fantastic.”

"The last 24 hours of my life have been insane," White added.

White and Trump have maintained a close personal relationship for decades, dating back to the early days of the UFC's rise in the United States, when Trump's Atlantic City hotel and casino hosted two of the promotion's events in 2001. White has since become one of Trump's most prominent supporters in the sports world, speaking at three Republican National Conventions and publicly backing Trump's presidential campaigns.

White’s initial reaction to Trump's social media post Saturday only further fueled speculation around his potential appointment. White first posted an image of himself at the podium of the White House press briefing room with the caption, "On to the next chapter," then told reporters in London that he was "flying to Washington" directly after Zuffa Boxing 12's post-fight press conference in order to meet with Trump on Monday.

Trump clarified Sunday that his meeting with White was previously scheduled and concerned unrelated matters, which both men reiterated Monday afternoon.

In the end, it appears the whole saga ended up being much ado about nothing.