UFC chief takes White House podium, but turns down Trump

White, the 57-year-old president and CEO of UFC, is a long-time friend of the president and helped host a massive UFC match on the White House lawn earlier this year (MANDEL NGAN)Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White took the podium at the White House on Monday -- but said he wanted to stay out of politics after President Donald Trump apparently jokingly offered him the job of press secretary."Would you like that, or do you just want to stay with this ridiculous UFC? Huh?" Trump said to White in the famed James Brady Press Briefing Room, after bringing the cagefighting boss out for a chaotic question-and-answer session."Thank you for the offer, sir -- for the offer, I have no, no -- I do not want to be in politics," White replied.Trump smiled and headed out of the room, saying: "I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everybody."The 80-year-old US president stunned the world when he said on Saturday that he had offered White the job, which has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16 after less than a week in the post.But Trump then said on Sunday that "I was only kidding" -- while adding that "Dana loves the idea."White, the 57-year-old president and CEO of UFC, is a long-time friend of the president and helped host a massive UFC match on the White House lawn earlier this year.dk/pnb