A president offers a friend a job in jest, then insists the jest was real only in its absurdity, and the offer lingers in the air like a question nobody quite wants to answer. Beneath the banter sits a genuine gap: a briefing room whose chair has changed hands again and again, with no one yet settled in it. Trump and Dana White share a long history stretching back to the early days of the UFC, and that history gives the joke its warmth as well as its ambiguity. What the moment asks is whether an offhand remark reveals anything about how the White House intends to fill a post that remains open.
Trump Says He Was 'Only Kidding' About Making Dana White Press Secretary
"I was only kidding," Trump said of the Dana White press secretary offer
Mark
So the president offered a job on social media, then said Sunday it was a joke. What actually happened?
Mimi
Trump posted Saturday that he'd offered Dana White the press secretary job, with fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Amanda Nunes as assistants. On Sunday he said he was only kidding and pointed to the "rough faces" in the lineup.
Mark
Why does a joke like this get attention?
Mimi
Because the post is vacant. Karoline Leavitt left in August, and Katie Zacharia, tapped to succeed her, has also departed.
Luke
Worth saying, though: the vacancy is confirmed, but nothing here says anyone is close to being hired. Trump said in October, "We're in no rush."
Mark
And White's reaction?
Mimi
He shared the post on Instagram with a photo of himself at the White House podium, captioned "On to the next chapter."
Luke
That reads as playing along. It doesn't tell us whether he was ever seriously asked.
Mark
Is the Monday visit connected?
Mimi
Trump says no. He said White was already planning to be in Washington and would stop by.
Luke
That's Trump's account of White's plans. We don't have White's own explanation of the trip, and the reporting doesn't say what the visit is about.
Mark
What's the relationship behind this?
Mimi
Decades old, back to Trump hosting UFC fights in Atlantic City. White spoke at the 2024 RNC and was at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn in June.
El Pulso
- A Truth Social post offering Dana White the press secretary job, complete with a fighter-filled staff roster, set off speculation within hours.
- The White House press secretary seat is empty after Katie Zacharia's departure, following Karoline Leavitt's exit in August.
- Trump's Sunday retreat to 'only kidding' leaves the offer hanging, with White's Instagram playing along with a podium photo.
- White's Monday visit to the White House keeps the story alive, while Trump's earlier 'no rush' remark sets the timeline for a permanent hire.
A president offers a friend a job in jest, then insists the jest was real only in its absurdity, and the offer lingers in the air like a question nobody quite wants to answer. Beneath the banter sits a genuine gap: a briefing room whose chair has changed hands again and again, with no one yet settled in it. Trump and Dana White share a long history stretching back to the early days of the UFC, and that history gives the joke its warmth as well as its ambiguity. What the moment asks is whether an offhand remark reveals anything about how the White House intends to fill a post that remains open.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that his offer of the White House press secretary job to UFC boss Dana White was only a joke. He had made the pitch the day before on Truth Social, listing fighters he said would serve as his assistants, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes, and ending with a plea: "Dana, please take the job!"
On Sunday, Trump pointed to that roster as proof the idea was a gag, noting that it featured a lot of rough faces, some from "parts unknown." He still praised White as a very capable man and suggested White had liked the notion. Trump also said some people had told him the idea was actually a pretty good one.
White played along on Saturday, sharing the post to his Instagram Story with a photo of himself behind the White House podium and the caption "On to the next chapter." He is also due at the White House on Monday, though Trump said that visit has other purposes.
The banter comes amid a real vacancy. Katie Zacharia, who had been chosen to succeed Karoline Leavitt, has since left the role, and Leavitt departed in August. When asked in October about a replacement, Trump said there was no rush. Whether a permanent press secretary is named soon will show whether the offer was only a joke.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had only been kidding when he announced, a day earlier, that he had offered UFC boss Dana White the job of White House press secretary. Asked what prompted the pitch and whether he meant it, he answered flatly: he was only kidding.
The original offer came on Truth Social on Saturday. Trump wrote that he had offered White the post and listed fighters who would serve as his assistants: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes. He closed the post with a plea: "Dana, please take the job!"
On Sunday, Trump pointed back to that roster as proof of the joke. The lineup, he said, should have given it away, because it included a lot of rough faces. He added that some of the fighters came from "parts unknown." He still spoke warmly of White, saying he thought White liked the idea and calling him a very capable guy. As for how White might run a briefing room, Trump said you wouldn't mess around with him so much.
Trump also said the idea had found some takers after he floated it. People told him, in his telling, that it was actually a pretty good idea.
The joke did not mean White was staying away from the White House. Trump confirmed that White is due to visit on Monday, but said the trip was for other reasons. He said he believed White already planned to be in Washington and would stop by to see him.
White had played along on Saturday. He shared Trump's post on his Instagram Story with a photo of himself standing behind the White House podium, captioned "On to the next chapter."
The banter lands against a real vacancy. Katie Zacharia, who had been tapped to succeed Karoline Leavitt, has since departed the press secretary role, weeks before this exchange. Leavitt left in August. Asked on Oct. 23 about finding a replacement, Trump told reporters, "We're in no rush."
Trump and White have known each other for decades, going back to the UFC's early years, when Trump hosted fights at his Atlantic City property. White introduced Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention and joined him on the White House South Lawn in June for UFC Freedom 250. In November 2024, White told Sports Business Journal he had "no personal political aspirations" when asked about a possible role in Trump's incoming administration.
What to watch now is whether the White House names a permanent press secretary, given that Trump said last month there was no hurry. White's visit on Monday is the next scheduled point of contact.
Citas Notables
I will tell you, I was only kidding.— President Donald Trump
Dana, please take the job!— Trump, on Truth Social
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