UFC CEO Dana White calls White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting ‘awesome’ experience, narrates chilling events

UFC CEO Dana White was among the attendees at the annual press event at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday (April 25), when a shooter opened fire inside the venue, leaving a Secret Service agent injured. He shared his reaction to the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, describing the incident as “f---ing awesome.”

Following the shooting, Dana White, 56, a close ally of Donald Trump, recounted the intense and chaotic moments inside the ballroom in an interview with USA Today. Today, describing the confusion and urgency that gripped attendees as the disturbance unfolded.

"All of a sudden, it just started getting noisy. Tables started getting flipped over, guys running with guns, and they were screaming, "Get down!' " he recalled. "I didn't get down. It was f---ing awesome, and I literally took every minute of it in," White continued while smiling. "It was a pretty crazy, unique experience."

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White told the news outlet that he was sitting "right in front of [the head table] where the president was" at the time. "Nobody got tackled, but guys came in looking for the shooter. I thought the shooter was over by us or something," he recalled.

The shooting suspect identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a man from California, was arrested. He is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump, as reported by news agency AP.

The Saturday night dinner in Washington that was attended by Trump and top members of his administration. The US president was sitting onstage shortly after the start of the dinner when live footage showed Secret Service agents entering the ballroom and quickly escorting the president out of the room.

The other members of his administration, including Vice President JD Vance and first lady Melania Trump, as well as pregnant press secretary Karoline Leavitt, were also seen on camera being removed from the ballroom.

Shortly after the incident, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "the shooter has been apprehended."

"Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job," the president said. "They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we 'LET THE SHOW GO ON' but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just plain have to do it again."

White, who is scheduled to promote the MMA event UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn on June 14, had earlier revealed that he urged Donald Trump to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race after the then-candidate was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.