A tale of a joke that briefly looked like a job offer, and of a man who insists his conscience is clear as the political weather turns. Dana White, the UFC's chief, found himself summoned to the White House briefing room after a playful post from the president suggested he might speak for the administration. Both men have since described the episode as a half-serious jest, and White has set aside any ambitions of his own. Beneath the lighthearted surface sits a familiar question of the season: as Democrats prepare to take up oversight after the midterms, which friends of power will be asked to
Dana White Shrugs Off Possible Democratic Probes, Recalls 'Crazy 48 Hours' After Trump's Press Secretary Joke
"A very unique and crazy 48 hours"
A tale of a joke that briefly looked like a job offer, and of a man who insists his conscience is clear as the political weather turns. Dana White, the UFC's chief, found himself summoned to the White House briefing room after a playful post from the president suggested he might speak for the administration. Both men have since described the episode as a half-serious jest, and White has set aside any ambitions of his own. Beneath the lighthearted surface sits a familiar question of the season: as Democrats prepare to take up oversight after the midterms, which friends of power will be asked to account for their closeness to it?
On a Monday, as his car approached the White House gates, Dana White received a call from the president's office. He was told to come straight to the press room, because the president wanted him in the building. Within the hour, the head of the UFC was standing before reporters in the briefing room, an experience he now calls incredible.
The summons traced back to a Truth Social post from Nov. 7. Trump had announced that "the Great Dana White" was being offered the role of press secretary after Katie Zacharia's departure, and he closed with a plea: "Dana, please take the job!" Many people wondered whether he meant it.
At the briefing, both men addressed the question. Trump said the idea grew out of a bad press day and that he had been half-kidding, though the press had not treated it that way. White, who was at a Zuffa Boxing event in London when the call came, said he has no political ambitions. In an interview with Lara Trump, he described the past two days as a very unusual and wild stretch.
The conversation then turned to what lies ahead. Democrats are readying their oversight plans for after the Nov. 3 midterms, and Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming House Oversight chair, has urged administration allies to "lawyer up." White said he expected to be scrutinized, but said that if someone has done nothing illegal or wrong, there is little reason to worry. He insisted he has never done anything in politics he needed to hide.
White's ties to Trump run deep. He has spoken at the last three Republican National Conventions and helped stage UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn, which Fox calls the first professional sporting event ever held at the presidential residence. Whether Garcia's committee will focus on him or on other allies remains to be seen.
On Monday, as his car pulled up to the gates of the White House, Dana White's phone rang. It was an assistant to President Donald Trump, who told him they would take him straight down to the press room because the president wanted him in the building. White, the CEO of the UFC, ended up addressing reporters from the White House briefing room, an episode he now describes as incredible.
The invitation followed a Truth Social post from Trump on Nov. 7. In it, the president announced that "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior," had been offered the job of White House press secretary, following the departure of Katie Zacharia. He ended the post with a plea: "Dana, please take the job!" The post prompted questions about whether it was serious.
Both men answered those questions at Monday's briefing. Trump said the idea had come out of a very bad press day. He recalled saying he didn't know why White's name came to mind, noting that White had been a friend for a long time, and then telling a group of reporters he might make White his new press secretary. Trump said he was sort of kidding, and that the press wrote the story as though he wasn't.
White said he has zero political aspirations. He was at a Zuffa Boxing fight in London when Trump called to tell him what he had posted. In an interview with Fox News host Lara Trump, White called the stretch since then "a very unique and crazy 48 hours," and said the last 24 hours of his life had been insane.
That interview also turned to what may come next. Democrats are preparing their oversight agenda after the Nov. 3 midterms. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, recently told Trump administration officials and allies to "lawyer up" ahead of possible investigations. Lara Trump asked White whether he worried about being targeted.
He said he had expected it. In his words, if you haven't done anything illegal or wrong, he doesn't know why you would need to worry. He said he has never done anything in the political world that was illegal or that he had to hide. He expects scrutiny, he said, but he is not worried about it.
White's closeness to Trump is well established. He has spoken at the last three Republican National Conventions. He also worked with the White House to stage UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn, which Fox describes as the first professional sporting event ever held at the presidential residence.
The full interview airs Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on "My View with Lara Trump." Whether Garcia's committee turns its attention to White or to other Trump allies will become clearer once Democrats take up their oversight work.
Citas Notables
If you didn't do anything illegal or anything wrong, I don't know why you'd have to be worried.— Dana White, to Lara Trump
I was sort of kidding, and then they wrote the story as though I wasn't kidding.— President Donald Trump, at the White House briefing
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