Dana White rejects Trump's offer to serve as White House spokesman

Dana White, president of the mixed martial arts organization UFC, has ruled out assuming the position of the next White House press spokesman under US President Donald Trump, ending days of speculation about his possible appointment to the position.

Trump asked White during a joint press conference at the White House yesterday (Monday): “Do you want to become the press spokesman for the United States of America... or would you rather stay with this ridiculous organization (UFC)?”

White laughed and thanked Trump for the offer before rejecting it, saying: “I do not want to work in politics,” after he had previously explained: “I have no political ambitions at all.”

During the hastily arranged appearance, White stood behind the podium and answered reporters' questions.

Trump said that his old friend loves the country and would do a great job as White House press secretary, but he added that they had other matters to take care of.

The president sparked speculation over the weekend when he said he wanted White to take over, before later calling his announcement a joke.

White said he was in London to attend a fight when Trump called him to inform him of the announcement, adding: “The last 24 hours of my life have been crazy.”

White has been friends with Trump for years, and also supported him during his election campaigns. The president regularly attends UFC events, and fighters fought on the White House lawn in June to celebrate Trump's 80th birthday, an event that sparked widespread criticism.

Carolyn Levitt, a former White House spokeswoman, left her position in August. Her successor, Katie Zakaria, who was appointed in October, left the position after only a few days.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington sees a “very strong desire” to end the war waged by Russia in Ukraine, and that both sides are “tired of fighting.”

Trump added in statements to reporters at the White House a day before trilateral talks led by the United States scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi, “We will have very good discussions about the matter in Abu Dhabi.”

Trump pledged to end the conflict when he took office in January 2025, but the goal of ending the war that began with a full-blown Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 has remained elusive.

“We are also seeing a very strong desire to end (the war) between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump told reporters. “We are involved in that.” A US official said earlier on Monday that Russia and Ukraine were privately showing a degree of flexibility regarding the possibility of exchanging territories before the Abu Dhabi talks.

The official said, during a briefing to reporters ahead of the talks that begin on Tuesday, that security guarantees for Ukraine will be one of the most prominent topics of the discussions, including the possibility of granting Kiev defense arrangements similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The issue of territory remains a major point of contention between the two parties. Ukraine wants Russian forces to retreat to the original borders between the two countries, while Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to control the entire Donbass region.

But the official said both sides had shown themselves somewhat willing to compromise in private conversations. He added that any agreement on lands would likely be reached in the final stages of negotiations after agreeing on other files, including post-war security arrangements.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukrainian victories on the battlefield and increasing Russian losses strengthen Kiev's position in the negotiations. These will be the first talks since February aimed at accelerating the end of the war that has been ongoing for more than four and a half years.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to lead mediation efforts in the Abu Dhabi talks scheduled for two days. The official said that it is possible that the two envoys will head to Russia at a later stage after the talks to meet with Putin. Although he stressed that the negotiations would take time, the official said that the American side was cautiously optimistic about the possibility of achieving progress.

Trump has repeatedly pointed out the heavy losses incurred by both sides since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in early 2022. The dispute between Zelensky and Trump has erupted over the past few weeks due to decisions taken by the US President to buy Russian diesel, suspend some sanctions, and call on Kiev to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries. Trump called for Zelensky to be replaced.

The war's front lines, which extend 1,200 kilometers, have remained largely static for months. Russian forces control about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.