{
  "id": 19092970,
  "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-19092970",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-09T04:17:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-says-offer-of-press-secretary-role-to-ufc-chief-was-a-joke-2-1.500740738"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. President Donald Trump clarified on Sunday that his earlier offer of the White House press secretary position to UFC chief Dana White was intended as a joke. Addressing reporters at his Florida airport, Trump stated, \"I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea.\" The White House press secretary role, a prominent administration position, had been unfilled since Katie Zacharia resigned on October 16 after less than a week in the role. White, 57, is the president and CEO of UFC and a close friend of Trump. Speaking from London on Saturday, White indicated he would discuss further after meeting with Trump on Monday. Notably, White's UFC had organized a violent cage fight on the White House South Lawn during Trump's 80th birthday celebration in June and featured Trump during his 2024 reelection victory speech. Trump's social media post on Saturday urged White to accept the offer, referring to him as a \"violent fighter and warrior\" and suggesting he bring several non-American fighters as assistants. Trump's clarification on Sunday reinforced that the inclusion of fighters from \"parts unknown\" was meant to indicate the proposal was a joke. He confirmed that a meeting with White was still scheduled for Monday, despite Trump's previous firing of press secretary Katie Zacharia after five days on the job.",
  "summary": "West Palm Beach, United States: US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was only joking when he offered the role of White House press secretary to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White earlier in the weekend. \"I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea,\" Trump told reporters on the tarmac of his namesake airport in Florida. The press secretary role - traditionally one of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "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": "Bernama",
        "title": "World : Trump Says He Was Just Kidding About Making UFC's Dana White Press Secretary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/world-trump-says-he-was-just-kidding-about-making-ufcs-dana-white",
        "published": "2026-11-09T01:13:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "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-19076805",
        "published": "2026-11-09T01:46:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "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"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Deadline",
        "title": "Trump Admits He Was “Only Kidding” About UFC’s Dana White Becoming White House Press Secretary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/trump-admits-he-was-only-kidding-about-ufcs-dana-white-becoming-white",
        "published": "2026-11-09T03:58:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}