Dana White makes CNN anchor regret her attempt to get him to attack Republicans: 'You guys are really bad'
UFC president Dana White refused to play political games on Friday when a CNN anchor tried to bait him into criticizing Republicans.
During an interview, CNN anchor Laura Coates suggested the attempted assassination on Donald Trump has not changed the former president's approach to politics because the campaign "has already gotten pretty nasty." Coates cited the criticism from some Republicans that Vice President Kamala Harris is a "DEI hire."
'All of this stuff is a bunch of nasty BS — all of it.'
"What do you think of this message that attacks the race and gender of an opponent?" Coates asked White.
White, however, was clearly not interested in playing that game.
"I don't judge people by their politics and who they vote for or any of that stuff," he responded. "I don't know Kamala. She seems like she's a nice person. You know, I have nothing against her whatsoever. And like I said, I'm not political, but do I think that she is fit for the job? I do not, personally."
But that response wasn't sufficient for Coates, who pressed White further.
She claimed the attacks coming from Republicans are "not necessarily about the policy," citing JD Vance's quip about "childless cat ladies," a reference to the left's anti-family agenda.
Despite Coates' attempt to bait White into attacking Republicans, he remained above the fray.
"Politics are the most disgusting, nasty— it's atrocious what is said in politics. And the things that are being said on one side are being said on the other side, too, about Trump and about, you know, his choice for vice president. It goes both ways," White responded. "This isn't like, 'Oh my God, look what's being said about Kamala.' It goes both ways. They're both saying it."
That response sent Coates into defense mode.
The CNN anchor disputed that both sides are engaging in the same level of attacks, once again citing only two examples: criticism about Harris being a "DEI hire" and the out-of-context remark from Vance about "childless cat ladies."
"Dana? Come on!" Coates exclaimed.
White, however, had finally had enough. He reaffirmed his belief that both sides are guilty of petty rhetoric, before calling out the media.
"As voters, what we need to do is cut through all the BS, and you have to look at who do you think is best fit to run the country for the next four years? That is our job as voters," he said. "All of this stuff is a bunch of nasty BS — all of it. Who's best fit to run the country? You as a voter, that's what you need to decide."
"You guys, you guys are really bad. Fox is bad. Everybody's bad," he told Coates, referring to the news media.
Finally, Coates got the message despite leaving White visibly annoyed and frustrated. For the remainder of the interview, White and Coates discussed the UFC and the Paris Olympics.
(You can watch a video of their exchange here).