US President Donald Trump has publicly offered the job of White House press secretary to Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, in a post on Truth Social.
“I am 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,” Trump wrote on Saturday, NewsFirst reported.
He asked White to bring six UFC fighters with him as assistants, posting their photographs and noting that some “are not from our Country”: Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both from Russia’s Dagestan region; Americans Justin Gaethje and Daniel Cormier; Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian who became a US citizen last year; and a fighter the post names as “Kayla Harris” — Al Jazeera renders the name as Kayla Harrison.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump added. “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!”
White House communications director Steven Cheung reposted the message, adding “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!”, CNN reported. CNN also reports that one aide said Trump was joking about the offer.
White has not answered either way
Asked about it at a news conference on Saturday following a boxing event in London, White deflected, saying only that he planned to fly to Washington to meet Trump on Monday. Neither Al Jazeera’s nor CNN’s account reports a formal acceptance or refusal.
A vacancy Trump has struggled to fill
The post has been difficult to staff. Karoline Leavitt held it for about a year and a half and left at the end of August, saying she wanted more time with her young family; she joined Fox News as a contributor this month. Her successor, Katie Zacharia, was fired after a single rocky briefing — at five days, the shortest tenure in the role’s history.
CNN notes the vacancy has become more consequential since Democrats won control of Congress in last week’s midterms and pledged to investigate the administration.
White is a long-standing Trump ally who has spoken at the last three Republican National Conventions and helped the party reach young male voters. Trump hosted a UFC fight on the White House lawn this summer as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary events. CNN reports that support among young men has since slipped, with criticism from figures such as podcaster Joe Rogan who helped introduce Trump to those audiences in 2024.
Not reported
No filing says whether the offer is formal or whether any paperwork, vetting or security clearance process has begun, and none reports what would happen to White’s position at the UFC. One CNN video item carries a web address suggesting White declined the offer, but that page’s own headline and CNN’s article text say only that he deflected and would meet Trump on Monday; this desk therefore does not report a refusal. No comment from White’s representatives or from the UFC appears in any of the three accounts.
