US-Präsident: Trump: Sprecher-Angebot an Kampfsport-Boss „nur ein Scherz“

President Donald Trump's announcement that he would like to appoint UFC entrepreneur Dana White as the new White House spokesperson was, according to the US President, "just a joke." White had come up with the idea, however, and would visit the White House on Monday "for other reasons," Trump told journalists. The Republican's announcement that he had offered the vacant spokesperson position at the Professional Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to the boss of the organization had left Washington baffled over the weekend.

It was widely speculated from the start whether Trump was joking or serious. The news network CNN reported that White had declined the offer. The entrepreneur himself said during an overseas trip to London that he would meet Trump in Washington on Monday. Spokesperson post vacant for weeks Trump commented on the matter: "That was an example of where I was just joking - and then people said, you know, that's actually a pretty good idea."

His spokesperson Karoline Leavitt had given up her post in August. The successor appointed by Trump in October, Katie Zacharia, withdrew after only a few days. She had given only a brief press conference where her uncertain appearance was apparent - followed by a televised interview that went wrong, generating criticism and ridicule.

White is a longtime friend of Trump and had also supported him during the campaign. The UFC boss had turned the organization, known for martial cage fights, into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Trump himself was a regular guest at the often bloody UFC events. To celebrate his 80th birthday, fighters fought on the lawn of the White House in a cage, causing a lot of criticism at the time.