Trump jokingly offers UFC boss Dana White press secretary role

Summarised from 8 outlets · 9 reports · Updated 10 Nov, 05:08 · Archive

President Trump offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary job in a Saturday post, then said Sunday he was joking.

President Trump announced on Truth Social on Saturday that he had offered Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White the position of White House press secretary. The announcement included an AI-generated video depicting White at the briefing room podium alongside UFC fighters attacking journalists. Trump also named six prominent mixed martial arts fighters he wanted White to bring on as assistants.

On Sunday, Trump backtracked on the announcement, telling reporters: 'I was only kidding.' He explained to reporters: 'We were having a very bad press day, and I said: "I don't know why I thought of his name." He's been my friend for a long time. I said: "You know, I think I'm going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary."' Trump added that White liked the idea and suggested the joke should have been obvious given the AI-animated video.

The announcement sparked widespread online speculation, including a theory that Trump may have confused the mixed martial arts executive with another person of the same name — a former Pentagon spokesperson also called Dana White. There is no evidence of such a mix-up.

White responded to the initial announcement by posting an image of himself in the White House press room with the caption: 'On to the next chapter.' He noted at a UFC press conference that he had 'a lot of jobs already' but said he would meet with Trump to discuss the role.

On Monday, White appeared at a White House briefing alongside Trump, where he took questions from journalists. White said, 'I have zero political aspirations' and clarified he was not planning to enter government service. He explained: 'I was at a fight for Zuffa Boxing in London when he called me and told me that he had done this, and the last 24 hours of my life have been insane.' When asked about a hypothetical UFC cage match between Trump and former President Joe Biden, White praised Trump, saying he is 'the toughest, most resilient human being that I've ever met in my entire life.'

According to the Daily Mail, White revealed that Trump had called him moments after the Saturday announcement. White told TMZ that he was travelling to Washington to secure Trump's signature on a special trading card commemorating the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn in June. 'Me and the president wore patches that night for Freedom 250, and the cards are done so he's going to sign the card tonight,' White said.

Following the announcement of the press secretary offer, online prediction markets began speculating about who might actually fill the role. Danielle Alvarez, a former senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, led prediction market Kalshi on Monday with a 20 per cent chance of landing the role, with Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly following at 16 per cent.

How it is being reported

• Dana White reveals phone call from Trump just moments after president claimed to have offered UFC boss press secretary jobOn Saturday afternoon, Trump took to Truth Social to announce that 'the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior' had been offered the job of press secretary.Daily Mail Sport · 10 Nov, 05:02
• UFC boss has 'zero political aspirations' as he rejects Trump's Press Secretary 'offer'Donald Trump and Dana White appear to have a close relationship: the US president agreed for a UFC bout to take place at the White House for the US' 250 anniversary celebrationsThe Mirror · 10 Nov, 01:09
• Dana White declines Trump’s offer to be White House press secretaryIn a social media post over the weekend, the president asked the UFC boss to take over the role, but later said he was "having a little fun".BBC World · 9 Nov, 22:46
• Watch: Trump gives post-midterm press briefing, alongside Dana WhitePresident Trump took questions in the White House briefing room Monday, nearly a week after Republican' massive midterm losses. The president took questions on the war with Iran and invited UFC CEO Dana White to speak after saying he "was kidding" about offering him the press secretary role.CBS News · 9 Nov, 22:39
• Dana White takes questions at podium during White House briefing with TrumpDana White took the White House podium to shut down press secretary rumors, saying he has zero political aspirations after President Trump's surprise joke.Fox News · 9 Nov, 22:24
• Trump holds White House briefing with UFC’s Dana White, warns reporters he’ll ‘beat the hell out of you’ in wild presserTrump brought the cagefighting executive to the briefing room after floating him over the weekend as his possible next White House press secretary.New York Post · 9 Nov, 22:06
• Trump parades Dana White out in wild White House press conference after fake press secretary teasePresident Donald Trump gave an impromptu press briefing on Friday afternoon alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 22:02
• A new favorite has emerged for press secretary after Dana White ‘joke’ flopTrump said the Dana White offer was just a joke, telling reporters: ‘I will tell you, I was only kidding’Independent World · 9 Nov, 21:47
• Trump says he was ‘kidding’ about Dana White press secretary job, amid online mix-up claimsDonald Trump says he was "only kidding" when he announced he had offered his friend and UFC boss Dana White the job of White House press secretary. The president shared an AI-generated video of White behind the briefing room podium and UFC fighters attacking journalists. But the announcement also sparked online speculation that Trump may have confused the UFC executive with a former Pentagon spokesperson, also called Dana White. There's no evidence of a mix-up, as Vedika Bahl explains.France 24 · 9 Nov, 20:51

In this story: Donald Trump · Dana White · Ultimate Fighting Championship · White House

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log