Trump says he was joking about offering press secretary role to Dana White
The US President clarified on Sunday that his social media post suggesting the UFC chief for the position was just fun.
US President Donald Trump told reporters in Florida on Sunday that he was only kidding when he suggested appointing Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White as the next White House press secretary. Trump described the suggestion as "just a little fun."
According to reports from The Times of India and The Indian Express, the clarification followed a Truth Social post where Trump offered the high-profile position to White. In that post, Trump described the UFC boss as a "violent Fighter and Warrior" and suggested White bring several current and former UFC champions as assistants to defend the administration against the "Lunatic Left."
Trump named several fighters as potential assistants, including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris. He noted that some of these fighters come from "parts unknown" and "very rough areas."
White, a longtime Trump ally, initially appeared to play along by sharing an Instagram story with a White House backdrop captioned "On to the next chapter." However, CNN cited people aware of the matter as saying the UFC chief has declined the offer.
The search for a press secretary comes after the recent departure of Katie Zacharia. Trump is scheduled to meet White at the White House on Monday, though the president stated the meeting was planned for other reasons.
