Trump Says He Was Joking About UFC’s Dana White as Press Chief
(MENAFN) Donald Trump abruptly reversed course Sunday on his surprise offer to make UFC chief Dana White the next White House press secretary, telling reporters he was “only kidding” about the job. He added that White had nonetheless embraced the idea.
The US president said he expects to talk with White on Monday about other matters.
The retreat came a day after Trump declared on Truth Social that he had offered the post to White, a longtime friend and political ally. In that message, he described White as a “violent Fighter and Warrior” and floated the idea of placing several UFC fighters on his White House staff as assistants.
White, who was in London for a boxing event Saturday, later told reporters he would meet Trump at the White House on Monday. He stopped short of saying whether he would consider taking the job.
He also reposted the announcement on Instagram, pairing it with an image of himself at the podium in the White House press briefing room.
The episode unfolds amid a wider reshuffling inside the administration after Republicans suffered losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. On Friday, Trump named Stephen Miller to succeed Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
The press secretary job has sat empty since Katie Zacharia left after only five days, following the August departure of Karoline Leavitt.
White has backed Trump for years and has appeared at several Republican National Conventions. The two have also attended UFC events together, including a June event at the White House marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The US president said he expects to talk with White on Monday about other matters.
The retreat came a day after Trump declared on Truth Social that he had offered the post to White, a longtime friend and political ally. In that message, he described White as a “violent Fighter and Warrior” and floated the idea of placing several UFC fighters on his White House staff as assistants.
White, who was in London for a boxing event Saturday, later told reporters he would meet Trump at the White House on Monday. He stopped short of saying whether he would consider taking the job.
He also reposted the announcement on Instagram, pairing it with an image of himself at the podium in the White House press briefing room.
The episode unfolds amid a wider reshuffling inside the administration after Republicans suffered losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. On Friday, Trump named Stephen Miller to succeed Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff.
The press secretary job has sat empty since Katie Zacharia left after only five days, following the August departure of Karoline Leavitt.
White has backed Trump for years and has appeared at several Republican National Conventions. The two have also attended UFC events together, including a June event at the White House marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
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