Donald Trump offers White House press secretary role to UFC CEO Dana White
The UFC CEO posted an AI image of himself at the podium, then flagged a Monday meeting, despite reports he had declined.
US President Donald Trump has offered UFC CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary. Trump made the offer in a Truth Social post, and the role has been vacant since mid-October.
In the post, Trump called White a “violent Fighter and Warrior” who “has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States”. He finished it with a direct appeal: “Dana, please take the job!”
Mixed signals from White
White replied on social media with an AI-generated image of himself behind the White House briefing room podium, captioned: “On to the next chapter”.
According to Variety, it's unclear whether White accepted the role.
White spoke later at a press conference after a boxing event in London. He said he would meet Trump at the White House on Monday, US time.
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
Fighters as ‘assistants’
Trump also asked White to bring several UFC fighters with him to serve as “assistants”.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump said.
Trump named six current or former UFC champions. They included Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who are both from Russia’s Dagestan region.
Why the podium is empty
The White House has had no press secretary since 16 October 2026, when Katie Zacharia left after five days and a single briefing.
Candidates have been floated since then. On 25 October, Trump’s Communications Director Steven Cheung posted a video on X of himself interviewing Nicki Minaj aboard Air Force One, and captioned it: “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!” No appointment followed.
The offer to White came a day after Trump replaced Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with her deputy, Stephen Miller. Both moves follow the midterm elections on 3 November, in which Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Who is Dana White?
White’s work with Trump goes back to the early 2000s, when Trump’s Taj Mahal casino hosted UFC events. White spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
In June, the UFC held UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn. The UFC paid for the event, and lawsuits that tried to stop it failed.
“It was an amazing experience; this was a one-of-one,” White said after the event.
White has not publicly accepted or declined the press secretary role. His meeting with Trump is scheduled for Monday.
More from Mediaweek
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
