President Donald Trump made an unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room Monday afternoon alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.
The surprise briefing followed a joke Trump made Friday, when he suggested that White could take over the vacant White House press secretary position.
Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins whether he had accepted the role recently left open by Katie Zacharia and Karoline Leavitt, White said he would not reject the president.
“I don’t tell the president no to anything,” White replied. “I didn’t say no.”
Trump explained that he had jokingly declared White the new press secretary the previous week after what he described as “a very bad press day.”
“I think I’m going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary,” Trump recalled saying.
Trump acknowledged that he was “sort of kidding,” but said the media took the comment seriously and quickly published stories about it. Bringing White to the briefing room Monday, he added, was simply “for a little fun.”
By the end of the briefing, however, White made clear that he did not want the press secretary position—or any other role in government.
President Donald Trump appeared at an impromptu briefing alongside UFC CEO Dana White
Asked whether he had accepted Trump’s offer to become the next White House press secretary, White said: “I don’t tell the president no to anything”
Trump also spoke about the conflict involving Iran, declaring that the United States remains “locked and loaded” and prepared to resume full-scale military action if necessary.
“We’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason,” the president said.
At the same time, Trump appeared to qualify that warning, saying he was uncertain whether another military operation was needed.
“At this point … taking military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing,” Trump said.
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The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego in September for the Middle East, joining the USS George Washington and the USS George H.W. Bush.
The deployment brought an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 additional sailors and Marines to the region. Trump had pledged not to strike Iran until after last Tuesday’s midterm elections, though it remains unclear whether he has authorized any additional attacks.
As the possibility of further military action remains unsettled, Trump has also signaled interest in reaching a diplomatic agreement. On Monday, he said Iranian negotiators were communicating with US officials.
“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking very politely,” Trump said. “I hope we’re going to be able to make a deal with them.”
UFC CEO Dana White stood beside Trump as the president answered questions from reporters
The briefing also featured several heated exchanges between Trump and members of the press, including CNN’s Collins and MS NOW correspondent Vaughn Hillyard.
Trump became visibly angry when Collins asked about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and an impeachment effort led by Republican Representative Thomas Massie.
“Massie’s a loser,” Trump said, speaking over Collins. “He’s a loser just like you at CNN.”
Several questions later, Trump turned his criticism toward Hillyard, who asked about the president’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Who are you with?” Trump responded.
After Hillyard identified his network, Trump continued his attack on the White House correspondent.
“MS NOW gets the worst ratings … used to be MSDNC … you’re a fake network,” Trump said.
“What a joke you are,” he added before moving on to another question.
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