Donald Trump Says He Was ‘Only Kidding’ About Dana White Press Secretary Offer

UFC boss Dana White will not be heading up the White House Press Secretary podium after all, as Donald Trump says it was a joke. If you missed the news, Trump announced on Saturday that he had offered the vacant position of White House Press Secretary to White. Most assumed it was made in jest until White seemed to take it seriously, saying at the post-UFC Fight Night: Cortes Acosta vs. Walker press conference that he was flying to Washington, DC to meet with Trump about the job.

Now, the President has confirmed that it was not serious. Deadline reports that Trump told reporters in DC after landing from his weekend trip to Florida that he was “only kidding,” though he said that White was a fan of the idea.

“Dana loves the idea,” Trump said. “There’s only one Dana. You wouldn’t mess around with him so much. So, I was kidding, of course. I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea and he’s a very capable guy.”

Trump did however confirm that White is meeting with him tomorrow, noting, “He’s actually coming tomorrow. Actually, for another reasons, I think he’s going to be in Washington, so he’s going to come and see me.”

The White House Press Secretary position has been vacant since Ocober 16th, when Katie Zacharia left the position after just five days. The position had been vacant for about a month and a half from when Karoline Leavitt left the role on August 27th untul Zacharia’s ill-fated stint.

President Trump on offering Dana White the job of White House Press Secretary: "I was only kidding." pic.twitter.com/LRzM2bIrNr

— CSPAN (@cspan) November 9, 2026