Dana White says he refused to get down during White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
Reactions are starting to pour in over the shocking shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but I don’t think you’ll see many incidents like UFC boss Dana White’s.
White, of course, is a close friend of the president and was invited to the event.
He even did an interview on the red carpet and talked about UFC Freedom 250, which will take place at the White House on June 14.
UFC President and CEO Dana White reacts during the bantamweight fight between Ecuador’s Adrian Luna Martinetti and Russia’s Mark Vologdin during week nine of the ninth season of Dana White’s Contender Series at UFC APEX on October 7, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nev. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
But the night took a completely different turn when a gunman stormed the security checkpoint and shot a Secret Service agent who was thankfully expected to be okay.
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Fortunately, there were no reports of harm to attendees, and President Trump, the First Lady, Vice President J.D. Vance, and other Trump administration officials were escorted from the room while guests hid under tables.
Frankly, the ballroom where the dinner was held was filled with over 2,000 people who were pretty shaken by what had happened.
But Dana White wasn’t one of those bothered by this.
As guests were leaving the Washington Hilton ballroom and the surrounding area, White took a moment to talk about his experience with some reporters on the way out.
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“It started getting louder, tables started falling over, men were coming in with guns and yelling, ‘Get down,'” White said. “I didn’t go down. It was so amazing. I literally cherished every minute of it and it was a pretty wild, unique experience.”
U.S. Marshalls walk through the lobby of the Washington Hilton after gunshots are heard during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. Tactical teams took up positions on the stage where President Donald Trump sat before being evacuated. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
White said he was seated just in front of the head table, where the president, vice president and first lady, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, members of the White House Correspondents’ Association and others sat.
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“The men came looking for the shooters,” he continued. “They came towards our table. I thought the shooter was with us or something.”
I don’t think many people would react to a situation of this magnitude the way Dana White did, but his nature is definitely different.
