President Donald Trump seemed to really want to mix things up in his search for a new White House press secretary. But in doing so, he also created quite a mix-up for a former Defense Department employee who shares her name with a famous Trump supporter.
Trump, in a Truth Social post he later said was a joke, announced he was offering the press secretary position to UFC CEO Dana White, a longtime friend of the president. But the news apparently caused congratulations to start rolling in for Dana W. White, a former spokesperson for the Pentagon.
"To everyone texting me congratulations: thank you, but you have the wrong Dana White," Dana W. White wrote in a post on LinkedIn on Nov. 8. "I've stood at a podium and taken questions from the Pentagon
press corps. I have never stood in an octagon. I'd like to keep it that way."
She added that it was "nice for once that, that Dana White is being confused with this Dana White."
Trump says he 'was kidding' about the job offer to UFC boss
Trump, in his Nov. 7 Truth social post, said he was "pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States." The post contained photos of UFC CEO Dana White and several UFC fighters.
The same day, the UFC's Dana White told reporters in London he was flying to Washington, DC, and planned to meet with Trump on Nov. 9. He also posted a photo of himself at a White House podium on his Instagram Story with the caption, “On to the next chapter,” along with a screenshot of Trump’s announcement.
However, a day later on Nov. 8, Trump said his announcement was only a joke.
Who is the other Dana White?
Dana W. White formerly served as the assistant to the secretary of Defense for public affairs, a role in which she was the chief spokesperson for both the Pentagon and former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, according to her profile on the Department of War's website.
Prior to that, she was the director of policy and strategic communications for the Renault-Nissan Alliance in Paris, France, from 2012 through 2015 and has also served as a professional staff member on the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Senate.
The White House press secretary role has been open since Katie Zacharia left after only five days on the job in October. In August, Karoline Leavitt announced she was leaving the role after more than a year and a half to spend more time with her family, weeks after the birth of her second child.
Contributing: Emily R. Condon, Jesse Yomtov and Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY; Reuters
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The wrong Dana White' takes Trump's White House press secretary joke in stride
