Donald Trump Dismisses Dana White’s Press Secretary Talk As A Joke After Stirring Unexpected Political Buzz

President Donald Trump said Sunday he was only joking when he offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary job. Speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump explained the Saturday Truth Social post was meant as fun, even though it listed several UFC stars as White's possible assistants. White, who has led the UFC for more than two decades, shared the post on Instagram with a photo of himself at the briefing room podium. He is set to visit Trump at the White House on Monday, though Trump says the meeting has nothing to do with the job.

Trump Says Dana White “Loves The Idea” After Press Secretary Post

Reporters asked Trump on Sunday whether the offer was real. “I will tell you, I was only kidding,” he said. He pointed to the fighters named in the post as the giveaway. “And you see a lot of rough faces there,” he said, and joked some came from “parts unknown.”

Trump also thought people would catch the humor. “And you would have thought that people would have said, ‘He's having a good time,'” he said. White, in Trump's telling, “loves the idea.” Trump called him “a very capable guy” and added, “You wouldn't mess around with him so much.”

Trump called White a “violent Fighter and Warrior” and listed Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes as assistants. “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” he wrote. He closed with, “Dana, please take the job!”

White answered in his own way. The UFC boss posted it to his Instagram Story with the caption “On to the next chapter.”

White House Press Secretary Post Has Been Empty Since Zacharia Left

Katie Zacharia left the press secretary job last month. She had followed Karoline Leavitt, who left in August after more than 19 months. Asked Oct. 23 about a replacement, Trump told reporters, “We're in no rush.”

The staff turnover is wider. Trump named Stephen Miller his new chief of staff Friday, replacing Susie Wiles, who submitted her resignation Thursday night. Wiles was the first woman to hold the job.

White and Trump go back decades, to when Trump hosted early UFC fights at his Atlantic City casinos. White helped build support for the 2024 campaign and helped bring UFC fights to the White House lawn this year. He was in London for a boxing event Saturday and told reporters he would fly to Washington for Monday's meeting. Trump said the visit is for other reasons. “But Dana is actually coming tomorrow,” he said.