President Trump said on Sunday he was “only kidding” when he said he wanted to tap Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a longtime friend, to serve as his next White House press secretary.
Speaking to reporters in Florida, Mr. Trump said that a social media post on Saturday, in which he announced that Mr. White had been offered the job — and pleaded with him to accept and to bring along several other fighters to serve as his aides — was “just a little fun.”
“I will tell you, I was only kidding,” Mr. Trump said on Sunday. “Dana loves the idea, and there’s only one Dana.” He added: “You wouldn’t mess around with him.”
Mr. Trump confirmed that Mr. White was scheduled to meet with him in the White House on Monday, a gathering that Mr. White announced on Saturday when he otherwise declined to comment on the president’s offer.
“We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that,” Mr. White said during a post-fight news conference in London on Saturday.
In June, coinciding with Flag Day and the president’s 80th birthday, Mr. White hosted a mixed martial arts cage fight on the South Lawn of the White House.
Mr. Trump has supported the U.F.C. and Mr. White, and has regularly attended the league’s fights during his presidency.
Mr. Trump has been without a press secretary since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia, a pundit whom Mr. Trump chose to replace Karoline Leavitt, was forced out after just five days.
Ms. Leavitt stepped down in August, shortly after returning from maternity leave, citing the need to spend more time with her young children.
“That was an example of something where I was kidding, and then people said, ‘You know, that’s actually a pretty good idea,’” Mr. Trump said on Sunday about Mr. White as a possible replacement.
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