The key facts
- Trump posted a cartoon on Truth Social showing White leading a briefing alongside fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev
- According to NBC, White said he would fly to Washington on Monday to meet Trump
- The press secretary post is vacant: Katty Zakharia resigned five days after an unsuccessful debut
An idea fueled from both sides
US President Donald Trump continues to promote the idea of appointing UFC head Dana White as White House press secretary, The National reports. On Saturday he first posted about it on Truth Social, and on Sunday he added a cartoon: White stands at the podium in the briefing room and tells journalists, 'Trump made me press secretary, and I brought backup' — he is surrounded by fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. In the animation, reporters are knocked down and physically carried out of the room — against the backdrop of the administration's open hostility toward many American media outlets, this will surely spark controversy, the outlet notes.
Monday meeting and signals from White himself
White himself is fueling the speculation, although, in The National's assessment, the chances that he would accept the offer, if it turns out to be real, are extremely slim. On Saturday he posted an Instagram Story photo of himself standing at the podium of the White House press briefing room. According to NBC, on Saturday evening in London he told several media outlets: 'We have a meeting on Monday, so yes, I'll have something to share afterward' — referring to a visit to Washington to meet Trump. The outlet also recalls that in June UFC staged the first professional sporting event in history on the White House South Lawn; it was overshadowed by controversial remarks by one of the fighters about former first lady Michelle Obama, from which White distanced himself at the time.
A vacant seat after Zakharia's five days
The press secretary post remains unfilled. Trump's appointment of Karoline Leavitt's successor after the departure of Caroline Leavitt is described by the outlet as a failure: journalists and analysts noted that at her first briefing she answered very few questions and appeared unprepared. After an interview on Fox News — a channel known for its sympathy toward the White House — which many considered unsuccessful, Zakharia resigned after just five days on the job. It remains unclear whether the idea involving White is a serious offer or a joke: The National characterizes it precisely as a probable joke, and the outcome will be determined by Monday's meeting, about which no results have yet been reported.
