Trump says he was ‘only kidding’ about selecting UFC CEO Dana White as his next press secretary
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday night that he had been "only joking" with his announcement on Saturday that he had offered the White House press secretary job to UFC President Dana White. (Photo: LiveNOW from FOX/Pool)
President Donald Trump revealed Sunday to reporters that his idea of offering the White House press secretary job to Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White was a joke.
What they're saying:
"I will tell you, I was only kidding," Trump said when reporters asked him about the offer.
Speaking to reporters from Florida before he left for the White House, he said he posted "the greatest wrestlers and UFC fighters in the world" as some of White’s would-be assistants in the post.
"And you would have thought that people would have said, ‘He’s having a good time,’" Trump said, adding that White "loves the idea."
"And there’s only one Dana. He’s great. I don’t know, he would be — you wouldn’t mess around with him so much. But so I was kidding, of course," Trump said.
The backstory:
In his post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump announced he had offered White, whom he called "a violent fighter and warrior," the job of press secretary.
He named a list of wrestlers, including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris as assistants.
"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," Trump wrote. "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"
White was in London for a boxing event on Saturday and told reporters during a news conference that he would be flying to Washington for a meeting Monday with Trump.
White’s relationship with Trump stretches back to when the real estate magnate's Atlantic City casinos served as a launchpad for UFC.
White shared an image on Instagram that had Trump's post and a shot of himself at the podium in the White House press briefing room, alongside the caption, "On to the next chapter."
Dig deeper:
Trump made the post about White on the heels of his announcement the day before naming Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, who submitted her resignation on Thursday night.
Wiles had been the first woman to hold the White House chief of staff role. Miller has been the architect of Trump's hardline immigration policies.
His last press secretary, Katia Zacharia, left the role last month after just five days. Karoline Leavitt had been in the role for more than 19 months when she departed in August 2026.
The Source: Information from this story came from President Donald Trump's remarks Sunday, the Associated Press and previous LiveNOW from FOX reporting.