Official portrait of Donald Trump, President of the United States, in a navy suit, white shirt, red tie and US flag pin, against a dark background; AI-recomposed version. — **Archive portrait** · Photo: Daniel Torok / The White House, Domínio público (obra do governo dos EUA) · Image credits

**Archive portrait** · Photo: Daniel Torok / The White House, Domínio público (obra do governo dos EUA) · Image credits

Trump now says he was 'only kidding' about wanting UFC's Dana White as press secretary

Told by 16 newspapers in 11 countries, between 20:00 and 08:00 on 8 November 2026.

In this story

The headline in each newspaper

AL JAZEERA (STATE MEDIA): Why Trump wants UFC chief Dana White as his new White House press secretary
ABC NEWS: Breaking: Trump says he was 'kidding' about offering Dana White press secretary job
FOX NEWS: Trump says he was ‘only kidding’ about making Dana White press secretary

Compare the papers

What newspapers from several countries agree on, where the accounts differ and who is involved, so each reader can draw their own conclusions.

Common ground

Dana White, UFC chief executive, took the podium in the White House briefing room alongside Donald Trump after the midterm elections.1 2 3 44 newspapers from 3 countries
Trump proposed that White become his press secretary; according to the reports, White turned the offer down.5 6 73 newspapers from 3 countries

Where accounts differ

PBS reports that Trump described the idea as «just a little fun»; Geo News and Punch cite a «jovial» offer, without quoting Trump's words.8 7
Rappler and Dawn describe the room as thrown into «bedlam», a characterisation other outlets do not use.9 10
Dawn says White «rejects politics», a detail no other headline mentions.10

Who is involved

Donald Trump: headlines show him proposing the press secretary role to White and leading the press briefing.8 2 6
Dana White: headlines show him taking the podium and declining Trump's offer.1 5 6

Background

2009Donald Trump has used the platform X since 2009; the White House said his posts should be considered official statements.W
2023Dana White is president and CEO of the UFC, a mixed martial arts organisation, a role he has held since 2023 after the company was sold in 2016 to a consortium led by WME-IMG.W

AIMade at 10:11 from 11 headlines from 8 countries; the background, from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Each number links to the source. Rules

The headlines, side by side

Each headline is the original, as the newspaper published it, in the order it arrived. The selection follows the public grouping rule, with no AI.

Highlighted words are used only by that newspaper, among the headlines in the same language. They show what each one chose to stress.

Der Spiegel · Germany · 20:30Donald Trump bietet UFC-Chef Dana White Job als Sprecher an - eine Verwechslung?Read at the newspaper ↗
Al Jazeera (state media) · Qatar · 22:11Why Trump wants UFC chief Dana White as his new White House press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
ABC News · Australia · 23:55Breaking: Trump says he was 'kidding' about offering Dana White press secretary jobRead at the newspaper ↗
Fox News · United States · 00:15Trump says he was ‘only kidding’ about making Dana White press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
CBC News · Canada · 00:00Trump now says he was 'only kidding' about wanting UFC's Dana White as press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
South China Morning Post · Hong Kong · 00:40Trump says ‘only kidding’ about naming UFC’s Dana White as press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
The New York Times · United States · 01:15Trump Was ‘Only Kidding’ in Asking Dana White to Be His Press SecretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
The Guardian · United Kingdom · 07:20Trump says he was ‘only kidding’ about making UFC’s Dana White next press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
The Indian Express · India · 07:00‘Of course, I was kidding’: Donald Trump on US press secretary offer to UFC chief Dana WhiteRead at the newspaper ↗
Dawn · Pakistan · 08:40Trump says he was 'only kidding' about naming UFC CEO as White House press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
BBC News · United Kingdom · 09:00Trump says he was 'kidding' about Dana White press secretary offerRead at the newspaper ↗
Geo News · Pakistan · 10:45Trump says 'only kidding' about naming UFC CEO as White House press secretaryRead at the newspaper ↗
PBS NewsHour · United States · 16:30Trump says idea to make UFC's Dana White his press secretary 'just a little fun'Read at the newspaper ↗
The Hindu · India · 04:55UFC chief Dana White declines Donald Trump's White House job offerRead at the newspaper ↗
The National (state media) · United Arab Emirates · 06:35Dana White tells US President Donald Trump he has 'zero' interest in politicsRead at the newspaper ↗
Punch · Nigeria · 08:45UFC chief Dana White declines Trump’s ‘jovial’ White House job offerRead at the newspaper ↗

Words in common

white
dana
press
kidding