Dana White‘s demeanor changed following the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but not for the reasons many will expect.
The UFC CEO, a longtime Donald Trump ally who has been by his side through the highs and lows of each presidential term, was in attendance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as a guest of the President’s. While dining at the Washington Hilton, an armed man charged the building and began firing shots, causing panic among the attendees.
However, sitting beside the head table in the front row was an incredibly unfazed Dana White. Instead of panicking, ducking behind flipped tables, or evacuating like many others who were present, White, smiling ear to ear, sat up and soaked in the occasion.
Dana White was unbelievably calm when chaos broke out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
(via @tonydokoupil ) pic.twitter.com/HB3iakMEE6
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 26, 2026
The untroubled reaction went viral, but it was Dana White’s words in the aftermath that captured headlines. White seemingly loved every minute of the events that unfolded in the country’s capital, revealing how much fun he had amid the panic.
“It just started getting noisy,” White said as the dust settled on a wild night in Washington, D.C. “Tables getting flipped over, guys running in with guns and they were screaming, ‘Get down.’ I didn’t get down. It was f***ing awesome. I literally took every minute of it in, and it was a pretty crazy, unique experience.”
One officer was hit in the ballistic vest during the events, though he is expected to make a full recovery.
Before the suspect, a 31-year-old male, was subdued and arrested, Secret Service agents approached Dana White’s table, making White believe the shooter was located close to his seating area.
“We were sitting right in front of the table, right in front of where the president was,” White continued. “Nobody got tackled, but guys came in looking for shooters, and they came toward our table. I thought the shooter was over by us or something, but no. It was a pretty f***ing unique experience.”
Dana White’s reaction to the shooting at the White House correspondents dinner:
“It was f*cking awesome. I literally took every minute of it in. It was a pretty crazy, unique experience.” 😭 pic.twitter.com/pLtEIB8r9m
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 26, 2026