Trump Admits He Was “Only Kidding” About UFC’s Dana White Becoming White House Press Secretary

President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he was only joking when he offered the position of White House press secretary to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac of his airport in Florida, Trump said the offer was "just a little fun" and that he was "only kidding" after previously announcing the proposal on social media.

The New York Times reported that Trump noted White "loves the idea" of the role. The Guardian US added that Trump explained the premise of the joke was that if White, a devoted fan of the president, were flanked by six fighters in the briefing room, reporters "wouldn’t mess around with him so much."

The press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia stepped down on October 16 after serving for less than a week, according to the New Straits Times. Trump and White are scheduled to meet on Monday.

Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, New Straits Times, Bernama, The Guardian US, The New York Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.