‘Just Kidding’: Donald Trump Says Amid Speculation He Offered White House Press Secretary Job To Wrong Dana White | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has clarified that his post on social media about offering the role of White House press secretary to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White was a joke.
I was just kidding: Donald Trump
“I was just kidding, but Dana loves the idea,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.
“Obviously I was joking and it showed because I put all these great fighters as his assistants,” Trump said.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump even suggested that White should bring in some UFC fighters, including foreign nationals like Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, to “defend us against the crazy left.”
What Dana White Said
In response to Trump’s post, White, who was in London, said he would meet the US president on Monday.
“I’m sure I’ll have something to talk about afterwards,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.
Trump said Sunday that a meeting with White was still planned for Monday.
Dana White or Dana W. White?
The development comes amid growing speculation on social media that Trump may have unwittingly offered the White House press secretary post, one of the administration’s most visible positions, to the UFC boss, when another person was being considered for the job, Dana White.
Many people on social media claimed that Dana W. White, who previously served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, may have been the one being considered for the job and not the UFC CEO.
White also previously worked for the Heritage Foundation, a Washington, DC-based conservative think tank that has heavily shaped and influenced Republican platforms and policy agendas for decades. She was also a columnist for The Wall Street Journal and a commentator on Fox News.
Trump is looking for a third White House press secretary
The role of White House press secretary has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on Oct. 16 after less than a week on the job after her credentials, including her claim to have a law degree, came under scrutiny.
Karoline Leavitt, who held the post in the second Trump administration from January 2025, stepped down at the end of August 2026 to prioritize her family and spend time with her young children. At the age of 27, Leavitt made history as the youngest White House press secretary in the US.
While the role of White House press secretary remains vacant, Trump is making changes at the top of his administration following last week’s election results. Most notable is the elevation of longtime loyalist Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.
