Trump says his suggestion to appoint UFC chief Dana White as press secretary was a joke

President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that his earlier claim of offering the White House press secretary position to UFC chief Dana White was intended as a joke. He said the idea was meant to be "just a little fun" and noted that White, a longtime supporter of the president, would have been accompanied by six fighters in the briefing room, which he suggested would deter reporters from challenging him.

"So I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy," Trump said. "Of course, I was kidding. And you could see that because I put all of the great fighters as his assistants, that they’re all going to come with him … It was just a little fun." Trump added that a social-media post announcing the mock appointment had prompted some people to say the concept might actually work, though he did not identify any supporters. Earlier on Sunday, he shared an animated AI cartoon created by a supporter that depicted UFC fighters confronting journalists, including a reference to a previous remark made by a fighter at a White House event. The president’s remarks came as the White House aired taxpayer-funded advertisements featuring footage from the UFC event held on his birthday and comments from White praising Trump as "the toughest, most resilient human being" he had ever met, language that White had used repeatedly during the 2024 campaign.