Donald Trump has turned the White House press room into a cage. In a cartoon he shared online, a press briefing becomes a UFC fight night, with reporters as the opponents and Dana White running the show.
The minute-long animation shows the UFC chief behind the White House lectern, flanked by fighters, before ordering them to attack reporters. The apparently AI-generated clip ends with the briefing room in flames and bodies scattered across the floor.
'Fiery ... but mostly peaceful,' White replies.
The violent joke took an awkward turn hours later, when Trump said he had been 'only kidding' about offering White the job of White House press secretary – despite the UFC boss saying he was travelling to Washington to discuss it.
A Press Briefing Becomes Fight Night
Trump shared the animation on Truth Social on Sunday, 8 November, a day after announcing he had offered the role to his longtime friend.
In the clip, White slams his hands on the lectern and declares: 'Trump made me press secretary. I brought help.'
As reporters stand to ask questions, White sends the fighters after them. Journalists are tackled, dragged away and chased from the room.
Trump then asks: 'How was the briefing?'
The scene turns the briefing room into a grisly parody of the president's relationship with the press.
🚨BREAKING: Dana White's first press briefing as White House Press Secretary. pic.twitter.com/T24dFGyup5
— Dr. Clown, PhD (@DrClownPhD) November 7, 2026
Trump Says the Offer Was a Joke
On Saturday, Trump announced he had offered White the press secretary position. He described the UFC chief as a 'violent Fighter and Warrior' and suggested prominent fighters could join him as assistants.
'We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,' Trump wrote. 'Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!'
White appeared to play along, posting an image of himself behind the White House lectern on Instagram Stories with the caption: 'On to the next chapter.'
At an event in London, he told reporters on camera he was heading to Washington and expected to meet Trump on Monday, 9 November, to discuss the offer.
But on Sunday, when asked whether he was serious, Trump said: 'I will tell you, I was only kidding.'
He suggested the list of fighters named as potential assistants should have made the joke obvious, pointing to their 'rough faces' and joking that some came from 'parts unknown'.
Trump nevertheless called White 'a very capable guy' and said some people thought the idea was a good one. He suggested reporters might be less likely to 'mess around with him so much' if White were behind the podium.
Trump said White was still coming to the White House on Monday, although the visit would be for other reasons.
A Real Vacancy Behind the Joke
The press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left after just five days in the role in October. She had replaced Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August.
The White House and UFC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump and White have been friends for decades, and White has publicly supported the president. The pair also hosted a UFC event on the White House's South Lawn in June as part of celebrations marking America's 250th anniversary. Trump has insisted the offer was never serious.
For now, White's next fight will have to wait – and so will his career in the White House.
