Trump says Dana White press secretary offer was 'just a little fun'
United States President Donald Trump has said his offer to make Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White the White House press secretary was a joke. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he said White liked the idea, but the invitation was 'just a little fun'.
On Saturday, Trump had written on his Truth Social platform that White had been offered the job. In the post he asked White to 'please take the job' and wrote, 'Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other.'
In the same post, Trump asked White to bring several current and former mixed martial arts fighters with him as 'assistants'. 'We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,' he wrote.
Asked about the offer at a news conference on Saturday, the UFC chief said he had 'a lot of jobs already'. He said he would meet the president on Monday, but would not say whether or not he would take the job.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that White was coming to see him on Monday for 'other reasons'. He said, 'I think he's going to be in Washington. So he's going to come over and see me. I will tell you, I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea. And there's only one Dana. He's great.'
The press secretary role has been vacant since October, when Katie Zacharia quit after less than five days in the job. Before her, the role was held by Karoline Leavitt. She was the youngest press secretary in US history and had held the post since Trump began his second term.
Trump's offer came after a heavy defeat in the midterm elections, in which the Republican Party lost its majority in both houses of Congress.
Dana White leads the UFC as well as PowerSlap, a regulated slap-fighting promotion league. He recently launched a new boxing promotion company, Zuffa Boxing. He is also a board member of Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
White spoke in support of Trump's White House campaigns at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024. He also appeared on stage for Trump's victory speech in the 2024 presidential election. This summer, the UFC staged a cage match on the White House lawn.
