Trump says Monday meeting with UFC chief is for other reasons
President Trump said Sunday that the list of mixed martial artists he proposed Dana White bring as assistants was an indication that he was joking about asking the Ultimate Fighting Championship chief to be the next White House press secretary. Trump named Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and others in a Saturday social-media post, writing that the fighters would “defend us against the Lunatic Left.” Trump said Dana White’s scheduled Monday meeting with Trump in Washington was for “other reasons.”
In the Saturday social-media post, Trump said he wanted White to bring “assistants,” including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and others, to “defend us against the Lunatic Left.” The post did not indicate whether White had accepted the assignment.
Asked about the post, Trump told reporters, “You would have thought that people would have said he’s having a good time,” and added, “I will tell you I was only kidding.” Trump separately said the list of fighters he named was an indication that he was joking.
Trump said: “I was kidding but I think Dana likes the idea and he is a very capable guy.” He added: “That was an example of something where I was kidding and then people said ‘you know that’s actually a pretty good idea.’”
Dana White said that he would be meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday.
Trump confirmed that the two would meet in person but said White was coming “for other reasons.”
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Trump had approached White about the job before.
White’s Sunday statement addressed the Monday meeting and did not address whether he had accepted the role. Trump’s Saturday post also did not say whether White had accepted, leaving the question unresolved despite the president’s explanation that the fighter list showed he was kidding.