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
President Donald Trump was swiftly ridiculed on Monday after he gave a bizarre press conference with his friend Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Trump hosted White at the White House on Monday for what he said was a separate meeting, but the two wound up in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room together after Trump floated the idea of White joining the administration over the weekend. The event seemed like a calculated ploy to get White to accept the role, which he turned down multiple times during the press conference.
Things got heated when Trump opened up the floor for questions. CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Trump if he would stand by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced eight articles of impeachment against the secretary. Trump snapped at Collins, calling her a "loser."
In another tense exchange, a reporter from MS NOW asked Trump how he would get Russian President Vladimir Putin to abide by a peace deal to end the country's war of aggression in Ukraine. Trump lashed out at the reporter, calling the network he works for "fake" and calling the reporter a "joke."
Observers reacted on social media, with some ridiculing the president for his comments.
Republicans Against Trump, a political advocacy group, posted on X that Trump's comments were in line with how he's genuflected to his Russian counterpart in the past.
"Trump will attack just about anyone, but he can never bring himself to criticize Putin. We all know why. Putin’s puppet," the group wrote.
Karen Piper, an academic and political commentator, was befuddled by Trump's claim that Hegseth had won two wars while he's been in office.
"Uh, which wars? I must have missed them," Piper posted on X.
Foreign policy reporter Laura Rozen said Trump looked noticeably worse during the press conference than he had recently.
"He looks more sclerotic, heavier and pale," Rozen posted on X.
Don Winslow, a best-selling author and political commentator, posted on X that Trump seemed to be using the press conference to spread "lies."
"You absolute f------ imbecile you didn't WIN any wars," Winslow wrote. "Iran controls the Straight. You didn't stop any nuclear program - if you had the first time, you wouldn't be back a year later. It's all LIES."