President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was joking when he posted that he had offered UFC President Dana White the White House press secretary position and named several fighters as potential assistants.
Asked whether he had meant the offer, Trump replied, “I was only kidding.” He said the list of fighters should have made that clear, joking that they had “rough faces” and came from “parts unknown.”
Trump added that he thought White liked the idea and described him as “a very capable guy.” He also joked that people might be less inclined to “mess around” with White in the press secretary’s role.
White is expected to visit Trump on Monday, though Trump said the meeting was for other reasons. He believed White was already planning to be in Washington and would stop by.
Trump said some people warmed to the suggestion after he made it, telling him it was “actually a pretty good idea.” The comments came a day after he posted on Truth Social that he had offered White the job. Trump named UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes as possible assistants, then urged White to accept.
White shared Trump’s post on Instagram alongside a photo of himself standing behind the White House podium. He captioned it, “On to the next chapter.”
The exchange follows the recent departure of Katie Zacharia, who had been selected to replace Karoline Leavitt after Leavitt left in August. Asked about finding a new press secretary on Oct. 23, Trump said the administration was “in no rush.”
Trump and White have known each other for decades, going back to the UFC’s early years, when Trump hosted fights at his Atlantic City property. White introduced Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention and joined him on the White House South Lawn in June for UFC Freedom 250.
In November 2024, White said he had “no personal political aspirations” when asked about possibly joining Trump’s incoming administration.
