Trump tag teams briefing room appearance with UFC’s Dana White to defend Hegseth, Iran and Nvidia’s Huang
Trump fiercely stood up against criticism of his Pentagon chief and their Iran war, while also backing tech leader Jensen Huang after news broke that he had an affair with a suspected Chinese spy
Donald Trump has given a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, tag-teaming with his friend, UFC President Dana White, to defend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Iran war and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
The president has faced growing scrutiny since Republicans lost control of Congress in a crushing midterm election defeat. To help take on the press during a blistering news cycle, Trump brought White into the briefing room after semi-jokingly offering him the vacant job of White House press secretary.
“I thought I'd bring Dane here because he loves the idea and I love the idea. The only thing is, we have other things we have to think about,” Trump told reporters Monday.
White was shocked when reporters actually started asking him questions.
It started with a softball when one reporter asked whether Trump or his Democratic rival, former President Joe Biden, would win in a UFC cage match. White replied with a compliant to Trump, calling him “the toughest, most resilient human being that I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
When asked whether White declined the press secretary job, the UFC chief said, “I don’t tell the president ‘no’ to anything.”
It remains unclear whether White will actually take on the role, which was once filled by Karoline Leavitt before she left at the end of August to spend more time with family. Katie Zacharia was chosen to replace Leavitt last month but only lasted five days on the job.
On Monday, Trump explained his decision to offer White a spot at the lectern: “We were having a very bad press day...I don’t know why; I thought of his name. He’s been my friend for a long time. I said, ‘You know, I think I'm going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary.’ I said it to a group of the press, and that was it. I was sort of kidding.”
Trump claimed the Iran war, which was a major factor in the GOP’s midterm shellacking after causing gas prices to soar, will be ending soon.
One reporter asked the president Thursday why not just declare the Iran war over now, given that he already claimed to have stopped the Middle Eastern country from having a nuclear weapon — his stated main objective of the conflict.
“We have some great allies there, and we have to make sure they're not hurt, and they would be hurt. They are right now a lot safer than they were six months ago, because Iran's been very much decapitated,” Trump said.
“But they're still the bully of the Middle East a little bit, and I see that. We want to make sure they're okay. We want to make sure it's a long-term solution, not just a short term.”
Trump also defended Hegseth, who has been unwavering in his support of the war as Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and staunch critic of the president, reintroduced articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief.
The articles filed Monday accuse Hegseth of “waging the Iran war despite no declaration of war, statutory authorization, attack on the United States, or imminent threat,” among other allegations.
Trump called Massie a “stone-cold loser” and then suggested that Hegseth “won the war in Iran” — without actually declaring the eight-month-long conflict over.
“I think he's won the war in Iran. But he's certainly winning the war,” Trump said. “Iran would love to make a deal, and they've been obliterated.”
