Unconventional offer retracted within a day

Allegations swirl of bid to distract from midterm losses

President Donald Trump (right) greets UFC CEO Dana White at an event held at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Aug. 5. [Getty Images]
President Donald Trump (right) greets UFC CEO Dana White at an event held at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Aug. 5. [Getty Images]

President Donald Trump sparked controversy after announcing he would appoint UFC CEO Dana White as White House press secretary, only to claim the next day that it had been a joke. The episode drew criticism that the president had treated an official personnel announcement as a prank, and raised suspicions that the stunt was intended to divert attention from a bruising midterm election defeat.

Trump announced Saturday (local time) on his Truth Social platform that he had offered White the press secretary post, praising the UFC chief as a "tough fighter and warrior" and urging him to take the job. "Dana, please take the position," Trump wrote.

Trump went further, suggesting White bring prominent UFC fighters on as staff. He said their nationalities did not matter, arguing they were needed to fight the "crazy left."

White played along. While in London for a boxing event, White posted on Instagram a composite image of himself standing at the White House briefing room podium alongside Trump's original post, captioning it "On to the next chapter."

The following day, Sunday, Trump met with reporters in Florida and drew a line under the proposal, saying it had never been a serious personnel announcement.

"It was a joke. But Dana seems to like the idea, and he's a very capable guy," Trump said. "I told him to bring all the great UFC fighters as staff, so he should have known it was a joke." Trump then added that he had merely been "having a little fun."

Trump said he was scheduled to meet White at the White House on Monday to discuss matters unrelated to the press secretary appointment.

Critics said it was inappropriate for the president to make and then retract such a statement in the form of an official announcement, particularly with the press secretary position currently vacant. Australia's ABC reported that Trump repeated his "it was a joke" explanation to reporters five times that day.

The episode drew additional attention because it came immediately after the US midterm elections. Republicans lost both chambers of Congress to the Democratic Party in the recent vote, and Trump has since moved to reshuffle his White House staff. Britain's Guardian raised the possibility that the unconventional offer to White was a deliberate attempt to shift attention away from the election losses.

Meanwhile, Trump's joke extended to an AI-generated animation he shared on Truth Social on Sunday. In the clip, White appears as White House press secretary and instructs UFC fighters to assault reporters en masse.

In the video, White declares from the briefing room podium: "Trump appointed me as spokesperson. I brought backup." Several UFC fighters are lined up behind him. Reporters asking questions are then subdued by the fighters.


yjc@heraldcorp.com