President Donald Trump said Sunday that his offer to UFC CEO Dana White for the White House press secretary position was a joke. Trump addressed the matter after announcing the offer Saturday on Truth Social.
“I will tell you, I was only kidding,” Trump told reporters Sunday. His statement provided a different framing of the offer that he had posted about one day earlier.
Trump’s Truth Social announcement said he had offered White the position of White House press secretary. White later addressed the offer during a news conference in London on Saturday.
White said at that news conference that he would fly to Washington, D.C., to discuss the job offer. His comments came before Trump told reporters Sunday that he had only been kidding about the position.
The offer did not mention only White. Trump also named several UFC fighters, including former and current champions Khabib Nurmagomedov, Amanda Nunes, Daniel Cormier and Justin Gaethje.
Trump downplayed the comments Sunday while still saying White would make a trip to Washington. According to Trump, that visit would involve other business rather than the press secretary offer he described as a joke.
“You wouldn’t mess around with him so much,” Trump said. The remark came as Trump discussed White and the offer with reporters Sunday.
White is one of Trump’s most prominent supporters. He spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, giving him a public role at three separate conventions.
The relationship between Trump and White also led to the UFC holding a live event at the White House. UFC Freedom 250 took place on the South Lawn on June 14.
That event was held on Trump’s 80th birthday. The live UFC card at the White House was another element of the relationship between Trump and White.