UFC CEO Dana White reacts as US President Donald Trump speaks in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 9, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz
CNN abruptly cut away from a strange press conference President Donald Trump held with his friend, Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, on Monday.
White's name has been circulating among Trump circles as a potential replacement for Karoline Leavitt, his former press secretary, since Trump floated the idea in a post on Truth Social. Trump had previously said he was "joking" when he floated the idea, although he said White would be "great" for the job because he has "done a lot of press" promoting fights.
The president also reiterated previous claims he's made about the wars in Iran and Ukraine. At one time, Trump said the U.S. is going to continue the "most successful naval blockade in history," one that has contributed to rising energy prices across the globe.
"Nothing has gotten through at all," Trump said about the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. "It's been months, and nothing has gotten through. Having a devastating impact, as you know, on Iran."
The president then contradicted himself by saying "more oil in history" is traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also made a claim that sparked controversy on Sunday when he said the U.S. had lost "no soldiers" in the war in Iran, even though the Pentagon says 23 service members have died in the conflict. Trump claimed on Monday that the U.S. has lost "no soldiers in six months" and reiterated comparisons between the Iran war and other global conflicts like Russia's war in Ukraine.
Things got weirder after a right-wing reporter had a chance to ask White a question. The reporter asked whether Trump or former President Joe Biden would win in a fight if they both showed up in their current condition.
"This is the toughest and most resilient man that I've ever met," White said, a refrain that Trump had used in some of his midterm advertisements.
CNN then abruptly cut away, with Kasie Hunt, host of "The Arena," telling her audience with a puzzled look on her face that the network would "monitor" the rest of the event.
Kristen Holmes, CNN's White House correspondent, told Hunt that Trump seemed to have picked an "interesting moment" to host White in the press room, considering that the president still does not have a press secretary.