Trump says offer of press secretary job to UFC chief Dana White was a joke

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he "was only kidding" when he announced on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he had offered the White House press secretary job to Dana White, head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion. The post remains vacant.

Trump said White "loves the idea" but that the offer was "just a little fun". According to the president, White will be in Washington on Monday and will visit him "for other reasons".

What Trump wrote on Saturday

In his post, the president said White "has been offered the job" and wrote that he would be "a Press Secretary like none other". Trump also asked White to bring several current and former mixed martial arts fighters as "assistants", saying they were needed to defend the administration against the "Lunatic Left".

At a news conference on Saturday, White said he already had "a lot of jobs" and added that he was sure they would have something to talk about after Monday's meeting. He did not say whether he would accept the role.

History of the post

The press secretary position became vacant in October, when Katie Zacharia quit after less than five days in the job. She had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in US history, who held the role from the start of Trump's second term.

The offer came after the Republican Party suffered a heavy loss in the midterm elections, losing its majority in both houses of Congress.

Who is Dana White

White leads UFC and PowerSlap, a regulated slap-fighting league, and recently launched the promotion company Zuffa Boxing. He is also a board member of Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He spoke in support of Trump's campaigns at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and appeared on stage during Trump's 2024 election victory speech. This summer, the UFC staged a cage match on the White House lawn.