World Tagesschau
Trump calls speaker offer to Dana White a "joke"
US President Trump is still looking for a press spokesman. He had named an unusual candidate in the boss of the UFC martial arts league - now he calls it a "joke".
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Martial arts boss in the White House? Trump describes speaker's personality as a "joke" As of: November 9th, 2026 • 11:41 a.m
US President Trump is still looking for a press spokesman. He had named an unusual candidate in the boss of the UFC martial arts league - now he calls it a "joke".
Donald Trump's announcement that he would like to appoint martial arts entrepreneur Dana White as the new spokesman for the White House caused more than astonishment over the weekend - now the US President has spoken of it as a "joke".
"I'm telling you, I was just kidding," Trump told reporters. He didn't mean the suggestion seriously, it was "just a little joke."
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However, White was enthusiastic about the idea of taking over the post, the president said. The news channel CNN, however, reported that White had rejected the post. Trump said White was expected at the White House on Monday - but "for different reasons."
White has been friends with Trump for years. He is the boss of the professional martial arts league Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Trump is a regular guest at the UFC's often bloody fight nights. On Trump's 80th birthday, fighters competed against each other in a cage on the White House lawn.
US President Trump describes job offer for White as fun Kevin Poweska, ARD-aktuell, tagesschau24, November 9th, 2026 • 9:00 a.m. Post was vacant in August The speaker post has been vacant for months, apart from a brief interlude. The first White House spokeswoman under Trump, Karoline Leavitt, resigned in August.
Trump's successor Katie Zacharia, appointed in October, threw in the towel after just a few days. She had only given a short press conference in which her insecure demeanor was noticeable.
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After the Republicans' drastic losses in the midterm elections, Trump announced a restructuring of his government on Friday.
He named his long-time adviser Stephen Miller as the new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Miller is considered the architect of the government's restrictive immigration policy.
This topic in the program: tagesschau24 | News | November 9, 2026 | 9:00 a.m