President Donald Trump insists he was joking about making UFC CEO Dana White his new White House press secretary.
Trump appeared alongside his longtime friend at a surprise White House briefing on Monday, trying to clear up speculation about the position.
“We were having a very bad press day,” Trump explained. “I was sort of kidding, and then they wrote the story as though I wasn’t kidding.”
WHAT A CLUSTER FUCK Dana White admits he had no idea Trump was joking when he was offered the job. Trump then says he asked White because he was having “a very bad press day.” What the fuck is wrong with him. TRUMP: “We were having a very bad press day and I said, I don’t know why, I thought of his name. He’s been my friend for a long time. I think I’ll going to get Dana white to be my new press secretary. I said it to a group in the press and that was it. Sort of kidding, and then I wrote I wasn’t kidding and you were inundated and I was inundated and he was here anyway. We thought we would have a little fun and brought Dana here.”
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) November 9, 2026
White, who has publicly supported Trump for years, appeared equally surprised by the attention.
“I have zero political aspirations,” he told reporters.
The UFC executive revealed he was attending a boxing event in London when Trump called about the announcement.
“The last 24 hours of my life have been insane,” White admitted.
Adding to the confusion is another Dana White, a woman who previously served as a Pentagon spokesperson during Trump’s first administration. Dana W. White reportedly received congratulatory messages following the announcement, raising questions about whether the president’s remarks had caused a mix-up.
Did Trump offer WH Press Secretary job to the wrong Dana White? Now she’ll never have a chance because Trump can’t admit the screwup. https://t.co/V05VuVNZRE
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) November 8, 2026
The president continued praising the UFC boss, despite insisting the proposal was a joke.
White also acknowledged he had never explicitly rejected the position.
“I don’t tell the president no to anything,” he said.