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Archive photo · 2 June 2025Trump Says He Was Only Kidding After Offering Dana White White House Press Secretary Role
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Trump offered Dana White the White House press secretary role. Trump said he was only kidding about the offer.
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Joke or offer
President Donald Trump said he was joking when he offered Dana White the job of White House press secretary, telling reporters on Sunday evening on the tarmac in Palm Beach, Florida, "I was only kidding." Trump had posted on Truth Social on Saturday that "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States," and he urged White to take the role.
Dana White, the UFC chief executive, told reporters he was flying to Washington, D.C., "right now," and he said he had a meeting scheduled with Trump on Monday. Trump said the meeting Monday was still on but that it was unrelated to the press secretary position, adding, "Of course, I was kidding."
Vacancy and prior briefings
The White House press secretary role remained vacant after Katie Zacharia left the position after just five days, and the vacancy followed Karoline Leavitt's departure in August to spend more time with her family. Trump had briefly appointed Zacharia after Leavitt, and the White House had no replacement named during Leavitt's maternity leave, with several Cabinet members rotating to offer occasional press briefings.
Trump told reporters he was returning to Washington after spending the weekend at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, and he reiterated, "I tell you, I was just joking." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether White would go through a formal selection process, and White had indicated on Saturday night that he planned to meet Trump on Monday.
Who comes to Washington
Trump said Dana White "is actually coming tomorrow" and he explained the visit was for other reasons because he believed White already planned to be in Washington and would stop by to see him. Dana White said he was heading to Washington that night and that he had a meeting scheduled with Trump on Monday, while also sharing an image of himself behind the White House lectern with the caption "On to the next chapter."
“‘Dana is actually coming tomorrow, actually, for other reasons.”
Trump also said he had asked White to bring UFC fighters as "assistants" to defend against the "Lunatic Left," naming Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and Amanda Nunes in his post. NPR said Trump followed up on his party's deep losses in Tuesday's midterm elections by replacing his chief of staff on Friday, and Trump said he was still without a press secretary after Zacharia left the role after five days.
