US President Donald Trump has clarified that he was joking when he suggested that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White take up the role of White House press secretary, as report by BBC News.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, Trump said White "loves the idea" but added that the suggestion was made "just a little fun".
The clarification comes after Trump claimed in a Truth Social post on Saturday that he had offered Dana White the position. In the post, he urged White to take up the role, adding, "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other."
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White later said that he was scheduled to meet the president on Monday but did not confirm whether he would consider taking up the vacant position.
However, speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said White's visit to the White House on Monday was planned for "other reasons".
"I think he's going to be in Washington. So he's going to come over and see me.
"I will tell you, I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea. And there's only one Dana. He's great," the president noted.
"But, it was it was just a little fun."
The press secretary position has remained vacant since October, when Katie Zacharia resigned less than five days after taking up the role.
She had replaced Karoline Leavitt, who served as the White House press secretary from the beginning of Trump's second term and became the youngest person to hold the position in US history.
Trump's offer to Dana White came after the Republican Party lost its majority in both houses of Congress in the midterm elections.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said he was "pleased to announce" that White had been offered the position. He also said he had asked the UFC chief to bring along several current and former mixed martial arts fighters to serve as his "assistants".
"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," he wrote. "Dana, please take the job!"
Asked about the Trump offer at a news conference on Saturday, the UFC chief executive said he had "lot of jobs already".
Dana White said he expected to discuss the matter with US President Donald Trump during their planned meeting on Monday.
"I'm sure we'll have something to talk about after that," he said, without confirming whether he would accept the offer.
White is the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and PowerSlap, a regulated slap-fighting promotion league. He also recently launched Zuffa Boxing, a boxing promotion company.
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Apart from his involvement in combat sports, White is a board member of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
White has also been a vocal supporter of Trump. He addressed the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, backing Trump's presidential campaigns. He also joined Trump on stage during his victory speech after the 2024 US presidential election.
Earlier this summer, the UFC organised a cage-fighting event on the White House lawn.
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