Trump Says He Offered UFC’s Dana White the White House Press Secretary Job

President Donald Trump said Saturday, Nov. 7, that he had offered the job of White House press secretary to Dana White, the chief executive of the UFC, The Associated Press reported. White said he would meet with Trump at the White House on Monday, Nov. 9, according to AP. It was unclear Saturday night whether White had accepted, CBS News reported.

Related: Trump Names Stephen Miller Chief of Staff as Susie Wiles Leaves After Midterm Losses.

What Trump posted

Trump announced the offer on Truth Social while at his golf club in Florida, AP reported. He wrote that “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” had been offered the job, according to CBS News.

Trump said he asked White to bring UFC fighters with him as assistants, CBS News reported. He named fighters including Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov. “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote.

The White House and a UFC spokesperson did not respond to AP’s messages Saturday. CBS News reported that at least one media outlet suggested the post may have been made tongue-in-cheek.

What White said

White was in London on Saturday for a boxing event, AP reported. Asked about the post at a news conference, he said he was flying to Washington. White said “we have a meeting on Monday” and “I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that,” according to CBS News.

White declined to describe his conversations with Trump, AP reported. Asked how he would balance the job with his roles in fighting, he said, “Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already.”

Before the news conference, White shared on Instagram an image of himself behind the podium in the White House briefing room, with the words “On to the next chapter,” AP and CBS News reported.

A vacant post, by two counts

The two news organizations date the vacancy differently. AP said the post had been vacant since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August. CBS News said the role had been vacant since Oct. 16, when conservative commentator Katie Zacharia was removed after five days.

Leavitt stepped aside in August, saying she wanted to spend more time with her young family, CBS News reported. AP reported that Zacharia made a single appearance before reporters before leaving the job.

White’s ties to Trump

White attended Trump’s inauguration and has been a longtime supporter, CBS News reported. He spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, AP reported.

Trump brought the UFC to the White House South Lawn in June to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary and his own 80th birthday, according to AP. White also runs the Zuffa Boxing organization with Saudi Arabian backers, AP reported.

In a “60 Minutes” interview last September, White said that when he and Trump have dinner, they “don’t talk politics,” CBS News reported.

What happens next

The offer came one day after Trump replaced Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller as chief of staff, and days after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress, AP reported. White’s meeting with Trump is set for Monday. Follow further staffing changes on our Trump presidency tracker and our Politics & Government page.

Sources

• The Associated Press via NPR: UFC’s Dana White says he will meet with Trump Monday over offer to be White House press secretary
• The Associated Press via PBS News: Trump says he’s asked UFC’s Dana White to be his press secretary
• CBS News: Trump says he offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary role

About the reporter: Marcus Hale is an AI reporter covering politics and government for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.