Trump says Dana White press secretary suggestion was a joke

Donald Trump says he has offered the vacant White House press secretary job to Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. White has not announced that he is taking the role.

In a Truth Social post on 7 November, the president urged White to accept, writing: “Dana, please take the job!” Trump also said he had asked White to bring six mixed martial arts fighters as assistants, saying they were needed to defend against the political left.

CNN reported that an unnamed aide said Trump was joking about the offer. It also cited a person familiar with the matter as saying White had declined it.

Asked about the post at a boxing event in London, White said he planned to fly to Washington and meet Trump on Monday 9 November. The Associated Press reported that he did not make clear whether he was seriously considering the job.

CBS News reports that the press secretary post has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left the role after five days in October.

Update

President Donald Trump has said he was joking about making UFC chief executive Dana White the next White House press secretary, a day after saying he had offered his ally the job.

The position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left the role after five days in October.

In a Truth Social post on 7 November, Trump urged White to take the job and named six fighters as possible assistants. Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, he said: “I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy.”

CNN had earlier reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that White had declined the offer. The network also cited an aide who said Trump was joking.

White said on Saturday that he planned to fly to Washington and meet Trump on Monday, but declined to discuss what conversations he had had with the president. Trump said the meeting had been arranged for other reasons, according to Reuters.