Donald Trump Says He Was 'Kidding' About Dana White Press Secretary Offer — But Admits UFC Boss 'Likes The Idea'
Donald Trump has admitted his comments about Dana White becoming the new White House new press secretary were a joke.
Nov. 9 2026, Published 7:39 a.m. ET
Donald Trump admits he was "joking" when he offered the vacant White House Press Secretary position to Dana White.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the president, 80, put an end to speculation surrounding the controversial proposal on Sunday, when quizzed on the subject by reporters.
'I Was Only Kidding'
The president wasn't being serious about White taking up vacant role.
He said: "I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea, and there's only one Dana. He's great."
Trump sparked mass bewilderment 24 hours earlier when he took to Truth Social to say he's offered the UFC CEO the job, left vacant after Katie Zacharia left the role after just five days last month.
He wrote: "I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States."
Trump suggested in his post that White should bring several UFC fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and Amanda Nunes, as assistants to defend against the "Lunatic Left."
'Dana, Please Take The Role'
White appeared to support the job teasing.
He added: "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"
White appeared to respond to Trump's announcement by sharing an image of himself standing behind the White House press briefing podium.
"On to the next chapter," he captioned the picture, which he also shared on his Instagram Story alongside Trump's Truth Social post.
White, 57, said at a boxing event in London on Saturday evening that he was heading to Washington that night and had a meeting scheduled with Trump on Monday.
Trump told reporters that the meeting Monday was still on but that it was unrelated to the press secretary position.
'Dana Is Coming To See Me'
The president said he still plans to see the UFC CEO in Washington.
"So he's actually coming tomorrow," Trump said Sunday night. "Of course, I was kidding. ... But Dana is actually coming tomorrow, actually, for other reasons. I think he was going to be in Washington, so he’s going to come over and see me."
Trump and White have long been pals for some time, and the Commander-in-Chief has attended many UFC fights while he has been in the White House.
White this year also organized a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House, an event that was part of a slate commemorating the U.S.' 250th birthday.
Many Trump administration officials and Republican lawmakers attended the fight in July.
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Katie Zacharia was axed after just five days.
White also spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016 despite receiving warnings from people in his inner circle.
"Everybody said, 'Don't do it. Don't do it,'" White told TIME earlier this year. "It was about more than 'You don't want to get into politics.' The bigger one was 'He's never gonna win.' And I was like, 'Well, whether he wins or not, the guy's been a good friend to me'."
Zacharia held the position for just five days after a disastrous first press conference.
Trump later explained that he had encouraged her to reconsider the appointment.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Trump recalled telling her. "Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider."
