'I was only kidding': Trump clarifies offer to make UFC chief Dana White press secretary

Washington: US President Donald Trump has clarified that he was joking when he offered UFC chief Dana White the position of White House press secretary earlier this weekend, although he said White was keen on the idea.

"I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea," Trump told reporters on Sunday on the tarmac at an airport in Florida named after him.

The position of White House press secretary, one of the most prominent roles in the administration, has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16, less than a week after taking up the job.

White, 57, is the president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a long-time friend of Trump. Speaking in London late on Saturday, he remained non-committal about the offer, saying he would "have more to talk about" after meeting the US President on Monday.

The UFC staged a cage-fighting event on the White House South Lawn in June to mark Trump's 80th birthday. White also appeared alongside Trump during his 2024 presidential election victory speech.

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump urged White to accept the offer, writing, "Dana, please take the job!" He described the UFC chief as a "violent fighter and warrior" and suggested that he could bring several fighters on board as assistants. Three of those named were not American.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the inclusion of fighters "from parts unknown" should have made it clear that the proposal was not serious.

"Of course I was kidding, and you could see that because I put all of the great fighters as his assistants," he said.

However, Trump confirmed that his meeting with White was still scheduled to take place on Monday.

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