{
  "id": 19063805,
  "title": "Trump says offer of press secretary role to UFC chief was a joke",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/trump-says-offer-of-press-secretary-role-to-ufc-chief-was-a-joke",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-09T01:46:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/11/09/trump-says-offer-of-press-secretary-role-to-ufc-chief-was-a-joke"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US President Donald Trump joked on Sunday that he had offered Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White the role of White House press secretary. Trump told reporters on the tarmac of his namesake airport in Florida that \"I was only kidding.\" White, a longtime friend of the president, appeared open to the idea but said he would \"have more to talk about\" after meeting with Trump on Monday. The White House press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16 after less than a week. Dana White, the 57-year-old president and CEO of UFC, has a history of working with Trump, including staging a cage fight on the White House South Lawn on his 80th birthday in June and appearing on stage with Trump during his re-election victory speech in 2024. Trump had previously urged White to take the job in a social media post, calling him a \"violent fighter and warrior.\" During Sunday's comments, Trump emphasized that the inclusion of several fighters from \"parts unknown\" as assistants was intended to indicate that the offer was a joke.",
  "summary": "The press secretary role, one of the administration's most visible positions, has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left less than a week after taking the job.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Could UFC boss Dana White be next White House press secretary?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/could-ufc-boss-dana-white-be-next-white-house-press-secretary",
        "published": "2026-11-08T11:57:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBC News",
        "title": "Trump insists he was 'only kidding' about wanting UFC's Dana White as press secretary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/trump-insists-he-was-only-kidding-about-wanting-ufcs-dana-white-as",
        "published": "2026-11-08T23:56:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Toronto Sun",
        "title": "Donald Trump says offer of press secretary role to UFC chief was a joke",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/donald-trump-says-offer-of-press-secretary-role-to-ufc-chief-was-a",
        "published": "2026-11-09T01:59:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}