Dana White for press secretary? Not so fast.
President Trump told reporters Sunday evening that his public offer to UFC President and CEO Dana White was only a joke.
“I will tell you, I was only kidding,” Trump said as he prepared to leave Florida following a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort. “Dana loves the idea. There’s only one Dana. You wouldn’t mess around with him so much. So, I was kidding, of course.”
Trump sparked widespread confusion Saturday when he wrote on Truth Social that “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.” He also suggested that the Connecticut-born UFC executive bring six high-profile fighters to serve as his assistants: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” Trump wrote before adding, “Dana, please take the job!”
White, 57, is scheduled to meet privately with Trump at the White House on Monday. The combat sports executive did not comment on the reported offer while attending a boxing event in London over the weekend.
Trump and White have maintained a close relationship, and the president has attended multiple major UFC events while in office. On June 14, White arranged a special “Freedom 250” UFC card on the White House South Lawn as part of summer events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Trump is seeking his third press secretary of the year after Karoline Leavitt left the position in August and Katie Zacharia’s brief, troubled stint ended after only five days last month.
Amid the confusion, some observers speculated that Trump may have intended to offer the position to Dana W. White, who served as a senior Pentagon spokeswoman during his first term.
“To everyone texting me congratulations: thank you, but you have the wrong Dana White,” the former Pentagon official wrote Saturday on LinkedIn.
“I’ve stood at a podium and taken questions from the Pentagon press corps. I have never stood in an octagon. I’d like to keep it that way,” she added. “It is nice for once that Dana White is being confused with this Dana White. Best of luck to the next White House Press Secretary!”
There is no indication that Trump has settled on a candidate for chief White House spokesperson, nor is there evidence that his offer to the UFC executive was the result of a mistake.
