A new favorite has emerged for press secretary after Dana White ‘joke’ flop

A new favorite has emerged to become the next White House press secretary after President Donald Trump offered the job to UFC CEO Dana White — then said he was joking.Danielle Alvarez, a former senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 campaign, led the online prediction market Kalshi on Monday with a 20 percent chance of landing the role. Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly followed at 16 percent.Alvarez previously served as a senior adviser to the Republican National Committee and was seen traveling with Trump in September and October.Kelly, however, held the lead on rival prediction market Polymarket, where traders put her chances at 15 percent.The speculation comes after Trump said Saturday that he had offered UFC president and CEO Dana White the job of press secretary. The announcement came days after Democrats reclaimed the House and Senate in the midterm elections.A new favorite has emerged to become the next White House press secretary. The speculation comes after Trump said on Saturday that he had offered the role to UFC CEO Dana White (AFP via Getty Images)“I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump also named six prominent mixed martial arts fighters he wanted White to bring on as assistants, including fighters from Russia and Brazil.White responded by posting an image of himself in the White House press room with the caption: “On to the next chapter.” Later, White noted that he had “a lot of jobs already” at a UFC press conference but said he would meet with Trump to discuss the role Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported. By Sunday, Trump said the offer had been a joke. “I will tell you, I was only kidding,” he told reporters.Online sleuths also speculated that the offer was a case of mistaken identity and that Trump had intended to offer the job to Dana W. White, a former chief Pentagon spokesperson.The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.Danielle Alvarez listens alongside President Donald Trump as a reporter asks a question before Trump departs on Marine One on October 19 (AP)The White House has been without a press secretary since Katie Zacharia was fired last month, following a debut briefing that lasted just 14 minutes and drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.“No wonder that poor young woman — she was a perfect, beautiful woman — when she walked into that press room and they started screaming at her, she freaked out,” Trump said. Defending herself, Zacharia said she was not given enough time to prepare.Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, served as the president’s chief spokesperson for 19 months before leaving in August to spend more time with her family.During his first term, the president had four press secretaries: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany.