Donald Trump only kidding about Dana White press secretary offer, but UFC boss

U.S. President Donald Trump clarified Sunday afternoon that he was "only kidding" about his offer for UFC CEO Dana White to fulfill the open role of White House press secretary.

Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump expressed surprise at the reaction to his announcement and insisted his proposal was never meant to be taken seriously. However, the president also claimed that White was enthusiastic about the idea and confirmed the two are expected to meet Monday in Washington, D.C. Trump said the meeting was previously scheduled and concerned unrelated matters.

Trump's full comments Sunday:

"You would've thought that people would've said, 'He's having a good time.' I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea. And there's only one Dana, he's great. I don't know, you wouldn't mess around with him so much. So I was kidding, of course. When you look at the fighters that I put in [my post], that's why I said some don't come from our country, they come from parts unknown. They come from a lot of areas that are very rough areas.

"So I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy. So he's actually coming tomorrow. Of course I was kidding, and you could see that because I put all of the great fighters as his assistants, that they're all going to come with him. I was just a little fun, but Dana is actually coming tomorrow, actually for other reasons I think he was going to be in Washington, so he's going to come over and see me. That was an example of something where I was kidding, and then people said, 'You know, that's actually a pretty good idea.'"

Trump caused a stir Saturday when he posted on his Truth Social platform that he was "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." The president closed his message with the plea to the UFC executive: "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"

White and Trump have maintained a close personal relationship for decades, dating back to the early days of the UFC's rise in the United States, when Trump's Atlantic City hotel and casino hosted two of the promotion's events in 2001. White has since become one of Trump's most prominent supporters in the sports world, speaking at three Republican National Conventions and publicly backing Trump's presidential campaigns.

White reacted to Trump's social media post Saturday by posting an image of himself at the podium of the White House press briefing room with the caption, "On to the next chapter." The UFC CEO then told reporters in London that he was "flying to Washington" directly after Zuffa Boxing 12's post-fight press conference in order to meet with Trump.

"I've got a lot of jobs already," White said Saturday. "We have a meeting on Monday, so I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that."

The White House press secretary position became open just over two weeks ago when Katie Zacharia resigned after only five days on the job. Previously a conservative commentator and adviser for the company that runs Truth Social, Zacharia received immediate scrutiny after an initial press briefing that lasted only five minutes, followed by questions over whether she was actually a lawyer, as claimed.

Zacharia took over for Karoline Leavitt, who left the press secretary role in August following the birth of her second child. During Leavitt's maternity leave, other officials in the Trump administration held press briefings, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.