Just when I thought the day was over, here comes Donald Trump trying to book another fight. This time, the venue is the White House briefing room and the name on the card is Dana White.
Trump posted on Truth Social that he offered the UFC boss the press secretary job. He even asked White to bring UFC fighters along as assistants. White said he planned to meet with Trump on Monday. The Washington Post reported that a White House official described the offer as a joke. So, as of Nov. 8, White’s appointment is unconfirmed. Reuters · The Washington Post
Watch my full reaction on YouTube to see the moment Dana White takes questions and why I pulled up an old Trump interview right after.
Trump sounds like a man backed into a corner
The job was open after Katie Zacharia left after five days. Half a Scaramucci. Damn. And the next name Trump throws out there is the guy who sells cage fights. The Washington Post
When I read that post, I kept coming back to the same thought. Trump sounds backed into a corner and looking for somebody aggressive enough to fight for him. He could have told us why Dana White would be good at explaining what the government is doing. The selling point he actually went with was that White is a fighter. He said the fighters would help defend him against the left. Reuters
Man, a reporter asking you a follow-up is doing their job. You need somebody who can stand at that podium and give people a straight answer. What the hell is a corner man going to do when the question comes back a second time?
This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard from Trump. Dana White for press secretary? What’s next? Reporters gotta tap out to get answers?
Do you like this personality?
The line that made me stop reading
The part that got me was Trump making a point of saying some of the fighters he wanted to bring in came from outside the country. I stopped right there. Hold on. Now where somebody comes from is a detail you can wave off when you want them in your corner? Reuters
That’s why I pulled up the clip of Kristen Welker asking Trump about deporting people who were in the country without legal status. That interview was about legal status. The UFC post was about where some fighters come from. My point is about how Trump talks. Listen to how tough he wants to sound in the interview, then listen to how casually he brings up where these fighters are from when they’re the people he wants around him. Meet the Press interview transcript
Dana White had one answer that made sense
When a reporter asked how he’d juggle the press secretary job with everything else, White pointed out that he already has plenty of jobs. Fair enough. Running the UFC is a job. So is standing at that podium and answering for what an administration does. Associated Press via Iowa Public Radio
Whether Trump meant the offer or was just talking shit online, that post still tells me what he wants out of the briefing room. He wants somebody who’ll go a few rounds for him. I want somebody who’ll answer the damn question. And if this is what he’s putting out there now, who the hell knows what we’re getting over the next two years?
Watch the full My Political Thoughts episode and tell me in the comments what you heard in Dana White’s answer. Did he sound like he was considering it, or like he was playing along?
