UFC BOSS DANA WHITE DECLINES TRUMP’S ‘JOVIAL’ WHITE HOUSE JOB OFFER

“Thank you for the offer, sir — for the offer, I have no, no — I do not want to be in politics,” White replied.

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Trump smiled and headed out of the room, saying, “I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everybody.”

The press secretary’s post has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16 after less than a week in the post. Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, left in August after a year and a half in the job.

Trump’s announcement that he had offered the high-profile job to “violent Fighter and Warrior” White had sparked speculation that he was ready for an aggressive stance after the Republican Party’s stunning midterm election defeat.

White is a long-time friend of the president and helped host a massive UFC match on the White House lawn earlier this year.

But there was also some scepticism about the president’s announcement, and Trump said Sunday night that he had been joking.

– ‘Beat the hell out of you’ –

Leading out White to the podium on Monday, Trump said he had been “having a little fun.”

“He’s a great guy,” Trump told the room full of reporters. “The only problem is he’ll talk for a little while, and then he’s going to beat the hell out of you.”

Standing at the lectern and wearing a black T-shirt and jacket, White looked like he might be more comfortable in the octagon — the ring used for UFC fights.

“I’ve always wanted to do this. Who has the first question?” he joked — before quickly adding, “I have zero political aspirations.”

White added that “the last 24 hours of my life have been insane” since Trump made the announcement.

Asked by a journalist to confirm he had said no to the job, White added, “I don’t tell the president ‘no’ to anything… I didn’t want to be disrespectful and say anything until he said something first.”

Trump then took a series of questions on more weighty matters, from the Iran and Ukraine wars to the possible impeachment of Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and a spy scandal engulfing Nvidia boss Jensen Huang.

According to a CNN report on Monday, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, Thomas Massie, has filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth over his handling of the war with Iran.

Massie, who represents Kentucky, introduced the articles on the House floor, accusing Hegseth of abusing his office and implementing what he described as unlawful orders to launch a war against a foreign country.

According to CNN, a vote on the impeachment motion would have to take place by Wednesday

Chip giant Nvidia’s board announced Sunday it had opened a probe into chief executive and co-founder Jensen Huang after he acknowledged an affair with a woman US officials say was working for Chinese intelligence, a claim Beijing denied.

AFP