PALM BEACH — Donald Trump walked back his offer to install UFC chief Dana White at the White House briefing podium, telling reporters on Sunday he was "only kidding."
Speculation erupted over the weekend after Trump posted a public appeal urging White to "please take the job." The mixed martial arts boss is not moving into the West Wing. The post stirred immediate confusion across Washington, coming just days after the administration ousted press secretary Katie Zacharia following a turbulent five-day tenure.
"I was only kidding," Trump told reporters in Florida before boarding a flight back to the capital. "But it was an example of something where I was kidding, and then people said, you know, that's actually a pretty good idea."
Trump’s original post dubbed the fight promoter a "violent Fighter and Warrior" and suggested White bring combatants along as assistants, attaching roster photos to the message. The tone was combative. But the West Wing churn is real. Democrats captured both chambers of Congress last week, prompting Trump to retool his top team for trench warfare. He tapped Stephen Miller—the hardline immigration strategist—as his new chief of staff, signaling an aggressive defensive posture against looming legislative probes.
White brushed aside the prospect while speaking at a post-fight news conference in the United Kingdom.
"I've got a lot of jobs already," White said on Saturday, confirming he booked an immediate flight to Washington for a scheduled Monday sit-down with Trump. "I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that."
White arrives in Washington on Monday to meet Trump directly at the Oval Office, where administration aides remain locked in a search to fill the vacant press podium.