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Dana White says gnats at Trump’s White House Rose Garden dinner raised concerns for outdoor UFC events

Says a private dinner with Dana White President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House It came with an unexpected problem: mosquitoes.

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The UFC boss revealed this week that a visit to the recently reopened Rose Garden quickly turned into a harsh lesson about the challenges of hosting outdoor events on the East Coast; This could become particularly relevant as conversations continue around the UFC’s plans for America’s 250 celebration in June.

talk with meeting roomWhite said mistakes were impossible to ignore during dinner, which immediately made him think of the UFC events held for 1600 Penn.

“Another problem I always think about, especially on the East Coast, is bugs,” White admitted.

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“President Trump opened the Rose Garden two nights ago and invited me to dinner there. The amount of mosquitoes flying around… I’m like, ‘Wow.’ As soon as I got on the plane, I called my executive producer and said, ‘Yeah, let me tell you about the mosquito situation tonight.'”

White, a longtime Trump ally and friend, said the experience immediately shifted his concerns to production tied to outdoor fight cards.

President Donald Trump attends UFC 327 with UFC President Dana White at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 11, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

White said his attention quickly shifted from focusing on the White House setting to how errors during a live pay-per-view event could affect lighting, camera shots and the overall broadcast presentation.

White had this to say about America 250 in the past:

“If you’re a UFC fan, and especially if you’ve never been to Washington DC, we’re going to give away about 85,000 tickets and there’s a process where you have to sign up for the tickets and they’re free, but you have to come to Washington DC that week, fight week. We’re going to be doing all kinds of things for fans in DC and probably for most people it’s a really great city and if you’re a UFC fan this is definitely, definitely time to come to DC.”

UFC CEO Dana White and President Donald Trump look on during the UFC 327 event

UFC CEO Dana White and President Donald Trump watch UFC 327 at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

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If the UFC eventually holds a major outdoor card in Washington, D.C. as part of its America 250 celebrations, it looks like pest control could become part of production planning.