Trump: Dana White Press Secretary Offer Was 'Only Kidding'
Is this proof the press can't take a joke or a sign he's intimidating the free press?
Above: Donald Trump and Dana White at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Aug. 5. Image credit: Jim WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump clarified on Sunday that he was only "kidding" about offering UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary position during a press gaggle in West Palm Beach.
- Nevertheless, Trump said White "loves the idea" and praised the UFC CEO and president as a "very capable guy." He then told reporters, "You wouldn't mess with him so much" if he took the role, which pays $195,200 per year.
- Previously, on Saturday, Trump said on Truth Social that he had offered White the job. He also asked White to bring UFC fighters Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harrison as assistants.
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The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump has always handled the presidency with humor, and the hand-wringing over a single joke proves the press corps cannot take what it dishes out. Fundamentally, the idea of a fight promoter at the podium lands precisely because the briefing room has become a stage for theater, not journalism. If reporters can't appreciate that, that's their problem.
Anti-Trump narrative
This is yet another episode in the farce that is Trump's presidency. Joking about stacking the briefing room with fighters to rough up reporters shows both how little the office is respected and Trump's appetite for intimidating the free press. This unseriousness characterizes the administration and was soundly rejected at the midterms.
