UFC president Dana White has described his “crazy 48 hours” after Donald Trump jokingly offered him the role of White House press secretary over the weekend.
Trump caused a stir on Saturday afternoon when he announced on Truth Social that White had been offered the position, adding: “Please take the job!”
White appeared to play along by sharing an AI-generated image of himself behind the White House briefing-room lectern, alongside the caption: “On to the next chapter.”
After attending a boxing event in London, White was then rushed to Washington, where he was presented to members of the White House press corps amid the growing speculation on Monday.
Trump later confirmed that the offer had only been a joke, while White made clear that he had no intention of becoming directly involved in politics, bringing the rumors to an end.
Now, following the extraordinary weekend, the UFC chief has spoken about the whirlwind chain of events.
UFC president Dana White has described his “crazy 48 hours” after Donald Trump jokingly offered him the White House press secretary role over the weekend
Trump invited the UFC boss to address the White House press corps on Monday afternoon
In an interview with FOX’s Lara Trump, due to air in full this weekend, White was asked what it was like to stand at the podium in front of the assembled press.
“It was incredible. What an amazing experience. Literally, when I was driving through the gates of the White House, his assistant called and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to take you right down to the press room. He wants you.’
“I was like, ‘What? This is crazy.’ It was a very unique and crazy 48 hours for me.”
White was then asked whether he was concerned about ending up in the crosshairs of Democrats who said they wanted to “target the president” after their midterm victory.
The UFC boss replied: “Well, I mean, we kind of expected that. If you didn’t do anything illegal or anything wrong, I don’t know why you’d have to be worried.
“I’ve never done anything in the political world that would be illegal, where anybody should come after me, or anything that we have to hide.
“So, yeah, I expect it, but no, I’m not worried about it.”
Shortly before his White House visit on Monday, White spoke to TMZ and explained the real reason his meeting with Trump had been scheduled.
White said it was an “incredible” experience to join Trump in the press briefing room
Trump jokingly offered White the press secretary role on Saturday
White said trading-card company Topps had produced a one-of-one collectible commemorating the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn.
“The president and I wore patches that night for Freedom 250, and the cards have been made, so he’s going to sign the card tonight. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here,” White told TMZ.
Asked about the press secretary speculation, the fight promoter insisted that he had not been involved in the viral stunt and had been completely surprised by Trump’s post.
“He put that out! The press secretary thing was him. Everyone has been blowing me up, asking me questions. I’m not going to be disrespectful and say anything. It’s his thing!” White said.
Trump later clarified that his surprise job offer had been a joke. White, however, revealed that the president called him just moments after the public announcement to give him a quick warning.
“Yeah, he called me,” White said, adding that he had already been scheduled to travel to Washington before the political speculation erupted.
