Trump Puts Dana White at the Podium and Sends the Press to the Mat

President Trump on Sunday posted an animated video on Truth Social that casts UFC chief executive Dana White as White House press secretary, with a squad of UFC fighters attacking the reporters in the briefing room. The Washington Examiner described the video as AI-generated.

The video came one day after Trump said publicly that he had offered White the real job. That turns what might have been a throwaway gag into something stranger: a cartoon audition for the post. White said Saturday that he would meet Trump on Monday.

Whether the offer is serious, a joke, or some of both is not settled. One aide told CNN Trump was joking, but the reporting turned up no on-record statement from the president himself.

What the Cartoon Shows

According to the Examiner, the clip puts White behind the press podium as reporters ask questions such as "Is Trump a threat to Democracy?" and "What are Trump's pronouns?" Current and former UFC fighters then pin reporters to the ground or escort them out. In the final frame, an animated Trump looks in at six members of the press pool lying on the floor with stars over their heads.

The Washington Post reported the video runs about a minute, and that the cartoon White orders the fighters to attack, and the reporters begin to flee. The animated White says, "Trump made me press secretary. I brought help."

Mediaite reported that when the animated Trump asks how things went, the animated White answers, "Fiery, but mostly peaceful." TMZ described the closing scene more graphically, with injured reporters, a trash fire and one reporter carried off "to a foreign country"; those details appear only in TMZ's account. The Hill reported the clip also references fighter Josh Hokit's comment about Michelle Obama at the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn.

The Examiner called the video AI-generated, while TMZ said it appears to be AI-created. Neither account confirmed who made it or what tool was used.

The Offer Behind the Video

The cartoon follows a Saturday Truth Social post in which Trump called White "a violent Fighter and Warrior," according to the Post, and suggested fighters come along, "even though some are not from our Country." CNN and The Hill reported that Trump asked White to bring "assistants," listing six UFC fighters with photos, and wrote, "Dana, please take the job!"

Newsweek reported that White posted an AI image of himself at a podium on Instagram Saturday with the words "On to the next chapter." CNN reported that White House communications director Steven Cheung reposted the president's offer with the words "Hell yeah!"

CNN also reported that Karoline Leavitt has departed the press secretary job and that Katie Zacharia had a five-day stint in it. Newsweek reported that some in the administration had floated Nicki Minaj as a replacement, a claim that has not been verified.

Is He Taking It?

The accounts differ. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that White declined the job, and Mediaite said he "reportedly turned down" the position. The Hill said it was unclear whether he had accepted. White himself, speaking Saturday, said only that he would meet the president Monday. Newsweek lists White as 57 and the UFC's chief executive.

No White House response to the video was found, nor was any reaction from reporters. Several of the details here come from search excerpts rather than full readings of the stories, and the Truth Social posts were not read directly, so the quotes are as the outlets reported them.

What Comes Next

Monday's scheduled meeting between Trump and White should show whether the UFC boss trades the Octagon for the podium. Also open is whether the White House comments on the video and whether the press corps responds.