UFC chief Dana White has sparked a wave of fury after describing the terrifying shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as ‘f***ing awesome.’
The MMA mogul was seated near the head table at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night when a gunman breached a security checkpoint, leading to the immediate evacuation of President Donald Trump.
While more than 2,000 guests – including cabinet members and journalists – dived under tables for safety, White admitted he refused to follow the instructions of Secret Service agents to get down.
Giving his immediate reaction to USA Today, UFC chief White said: ‘It started to get noisy. Tables getting flipped over, guys running in with guns.
‘They were telling me to get down, I didn’t get down. It was f***ing awesome. I literally took every minute of it in. And it was pretty crazy, unique experience.
‘We were sitting right in front of where the President was. Nobody got tackled. Guys came in looking for shooters. They came over to our table. I thought the shooter was over by us or something.’
UFC chief Dana White has sparked fury after giving a bizarre reaction to the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting on Saturday night
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were both rushed off stage from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after gunshots were heard inside the Washington Hilton
While White didn’t seem too fazed by the situation, his reaction has sparked fury and concern on social media in the wake of the shocking incident.
Taking to X, one wrote: ‘Pretty weird reaction if we’re being honest’.
‘What a clown,’ another said on the social media platform.
‘WTF is wrong with him. He seems insane,’ another wrote online.
Footage that later emerged showed White refusing to follow orders and remaining in his seat, while panic set in across the rest of the room.
White was present at the event as a guest of the President and was seated at a table with representatives from Paramount Skydance, the broadcast partners of the UFC.
White and Trump have built a strong bond in recent years, with the President regularly appearing at UFC events across the country, alongside the MMA chief.
Their friendship extends well beyond the Octagon, with White frequently speaking on Trump’s behalf at political rallies and national conventions.
The UFC boss has long cited Trump’s early support of the mixed martial arts promotion as the foundation for their unwavering loyalty to one another.
The dinner at the Washington Hilton was barely underway when the Secret Service was forced to leap into action after a series of shots rang out.
Journalists immediately huddled on the floor as Secret Service agents rushed into the room
Allen was ‘tackled to the ground’ and handcuffed by law enforcement after he allegedly broke through a security checkpoint and opened fire
Members of law enforcement respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner. Allen can be seen lying on the ground with their hands behind his back
Daily Mail reporters in attendance reported hearing three to four shots and Secret Service agents yelling to get down.
Within seconds of the shots, the President, First Lady, and Vice President ducked for cover under their table on stage at the front of the room.
Moments later, agents began combing through the hundreds of tables in the massive banquet hall to secure top Cabinet officials.
The Secret Service’s Counter Assault Team (CAT) rushed the stage draped in black tactical gear with large rifles drawn.
‘It was a gun and some people understood that pretty quickly and other people didn’t. I was watching to see what was happening,’ the President remarked. ‘Melania was cognizant of what happened, and I think she knew.’
‘Again the performance of the Secret Service and the police, all of law enforcement were very good. It was very quick. There was not a lot of time to be thinking. It was a matter of seconds before we were out the door and got into an area.’
Video of the aftermath shows VP JD Vance being helped off stage by Secret Service agents as Trump and Melania duck for cover.
They managed to apprehend the suspect after he breached a security checkpoint and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, authorities said.
White’s comments sparked fury on social media, with some labelling him as ‘weird’ or ‘insane’
Law enforcement surrounds the Washington Hilton Hotel where shots were fired
White and Trump have built a strong bond with the President regularly appearing at UFC events
White will oversee ‘UFC Freedom 250’ on the White House South Lawn on June 14
The alleged shooter has since been identified as Allen, a teacher from Torrance, California.
Federal prosecutors have moved quickly and already announced he is being charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
He is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
If convicted, Allen could face 20 years in jail for the assault, while the weapons charges come with a minimum of ten years with a possibility of life behind bars if fired.
