Donald Trump says Dana White as White House press secretary was a joke, citing "greatest wrestlers"

Speaking with reporters in Florida on Sunday, Nov. 8, Donald Trump said his weekend social-media proposal to install UFC chief executive Dana White as White House press secretary had been a joke, pointing to the mixed-martial-arts figures he had listed as White’s would-be deputies as proof. The prior day, Trump had announced the offer on Truth Social and named Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison as assistants, framing the group as defenders against the political left. The idea drew attention days after Democrats won control of both congressional chambers in the Nov. 3 midterms. White, a supporter of Trump’s presidential campaigns, posted an image suggesting he was accepting the role and confirmed a Monday meeting with Trump, who later said the visit concerned other matters. The press secretary job remains unfilled.