Trump says he was “only kidding” about giving Dana White the White House podium

Donald Trump has walked back his public offer to make Dana White the White House press secretary, telling reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday 8 November, US time, that he was “only kidding”.

Trump called the suggestion “just a little fun” and said the photos of UFC fighters in his original post were part of the joke. He also claimed White “loves the idea”. White has not commented on the walk-back.

White is still due at the White House on Monday 9 November, US time, but Trump said that visit was planned for other reasons.

What did Trump say in the first place?

In a Truth Social post on Saturday 7 November, US time, Trump called White “a violent Fighter and Warrior”, said he would be a press secretary “like none other”, and ended: “Dana, please take the job!”

He suggested White bring UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and Amanda Nunes with him as assistants, saying they were needed to defend the administration against what he called the “Lunatic Left”.

White shared an image of the post on Instagram alongside a picture of himself at the briefing room podium, captioned “On to the next chapter”. Asked by reporters in London whether he wanted the job, he would only say he was flying to Washington for a meeting with Trump on Monday.

Why does a joke matter?

Because the job is real and empty. The press secretary is the administration’s daily public face: the person who briefs the White House press corps, answers for the president’s decisions and sets the tone of the government’s message to the world.

For roughly 36 hours, the most powerful government on earth appeared to be offering that role to a sports promoter, and allies and markets had to work out whether it was serious. The answer came not from a statement but from a remark to reporters at the weekend.

Why is the job empty?

Karoline Leavitt, who became the youngest press secretary in US history when Trump returned to office in January 2025, announced in August 2026 that she was leaving to spend more time with her family. Her successor, Katie Zacharia, made one appearance before reporters and left after five days in October. The White House has had no permanent chief spokesperson since.

Who is Dana White to Trump?

White has run the UFC for more than two decades and built it into a global sports business. He spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016, 2020 and 2024, helped rally support for Trump’s 2024 campaign, and Trump has attended many UFC events with him since returning to office.

Earlier this year White staged a UFC event on the White House South Lawn as part of the celebrations for the United States’ 250th anniversary.

What else is changing at the White House?

The post was one of two big staffing moves in two days. On Friday Trump named Stephen Miller, the architect of his hard-line immigration policies, to replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff. Both follow the 3 November midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of the House and the Senate.

With Democrats about to take charge of congressional committees and investigations, the White House faces two years of scrutiny, and Trump’s original post framed the press job as a fight.

Why does it matter beyond Washington?

The White House briefing room is where allies, including Australia, look for the US position on trade, tariffs, the Iran war and the Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to raise the Iran war with Trump at the Quad meeting in Manila, and a vacant podium means fewer regular, on-the-record answers from Washington in the meantime.