US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has said he was “only kidding” about offering UFC chief Dana White the job of White House press secretary.
Speaking to reporters in Florida on Sunday, Trump said the suggestion had been a joke, although White would visit the White House today for other reasons.
“I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea and there’s only one Dana … It was just a little fun,” Trump said.
President Trump on offering Dana White the job of White House Press Secretary: “I was only kidding.” https://t.co/LRzM2bIrNr
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 9, 2026
The comments came a day after Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he had offered the position to the Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive.
Describing White as “a violent Fighter and Warrior”, Trump said he would be a press secretary “like none other”.
“Dana, please take the job!” Trump wrote.
Trump’s original post also proposed recruiting several current and former UFC champions as assistants, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote.
White responded by sharing an image on Instagram appearing to show him behind the White House briefing-room lectern, captioned: “On to the next chapter”.
White is a longstanding Trump supporter who spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
The UFC also staged a “Freedom 250” event on the White House’s South Lawn in June.
Trump attended the event alongside White.
The press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left last month after less than a week in the role.
Additional reporting from AFP