Trump Says He Jokingly Offered Dana White Comms Role Because of ‘Very Bad Press Day’

Donald Trump surprised members of the press yet again on Monday when he stepped into a White House press briefing with UFC chief Dana White. The two stood together to address their bizarre stunt over the weekend that saw the president asking the sports executive to be his next press secretary. Trump, standing to the right of White while the CEO spoke from the podium, interjected to explain that he jokingly offered up the role because “we were having a very bad press day.” “We were having a very bad press day, and I said, I don’t know why, I thought of his name, he’s been my friend for a long time, I said, ‘You know, I think I’m going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary,’” Trump recalled. “I said it to a group of the press, and that was it.” The president appeared to misremember that he did not say it to a select group of press, but posted the offer on his own Truth Social account, breathlessly writing, “Dana, please take the job!” “I was sort of kidding. And then they wrote the stories as if I wasn’t kidding, and you were inundated and I was inundated,” Trump continued. “He was here anyway, we thought we’d have a little fun and we brought Dana here.” The president did briefly weigh in on how he thinks White would do as press secretary, however: “He would be fantastic.” Trump on why he named Dana White press secretary:“We were having a very bad press day and I said, I don’t know why, I thought of his name. He’s been my friend for a long time. I think I’ll going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary… I was sort of kidding” pic.twitter.com/uh7P1PtF6t — Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) November 9, 2026 White was separately grilled on whether or not he formally declined the president’s offer on Saturday after he reshared a screenshot of the Truth Social post on his Instagram story and additionally edited a photo of himself standing at the press secretary’s podium. “On to the next chapter,” he wrote at the time. “Just to confirm, did you tell the president no to the press secretary job?” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked during the press session. “I don’t tell the president no to anything, guys! No! I didn’t say no,” White maintained. “I literally, everybody, every media outlet was calling me, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful and say anything until he said something first.” But just incase, Trump again asked White at the press briefing on Monday if he’d consider taking the role. “Would you like to be press secretary of the United States of America? … Would you like that, or do you just want to stay with this ridiculous UFC?” he said. White thanked him for the offer but said he does “not want to be in politics.” “I am devastated to hear this,” Trump quipped.