President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he was “only kidding” about nominating Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, for White House press secretary.
“That was an example of something where I was kidding, and then people said, ‘You know, that’s actually a pretty good idea,’” Trump said on the President Donald J. Trump International Airport tarmac in West Palm Beach, Florida.
White had already declined Trump’s offer to become press secretary, CNN reported Saturday, but the president told reporters that “Dana loves the idea.”
Trump confirmed that White is visiting Washington on Monday and the pair will meet up, but he noted that the White’s is making the trip for “other reasons.”
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Given the nature of his Saturday post to Truth Social in which he called for UFC fighters, including Russia’s Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, to be White’s press assistants, Trump appeared surprised that people took him seriously.
“You see a lot of rough faces there,” Trump said, referencing the six fighters he posted. “You would have thought that people would have said ‘he’s having a good time.’”
The White House has previously said that Trump’s posts on Truth Social should be considered official statements and aides often refer reporter questions back to his posts when asked for comment.
White and Trump have maintained a close relationship throughout the president’s second term. UFC even hosted fights on the White House grounds in June as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The White House is currently operating without an official press secretary after Katie Zacharia lasted only five days in the role before departing the Trump administration.
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