Trump says he offered White House press secretary job to Dana White

President Trump said he offered the job of White House press secretary to Dana White, president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

In a Truth Social post Saturday, Trump said he requested White bring “assistants” with him and named several UFC fighters.

“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. “I have requested that he bring with him assistants, even though some are not from our Country, of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris.”

“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!” he added.

It is unclear whether White has accepted the position, though the UFC president shared an image of himself at the White House press briefing room podium to his Instagram story with the caption, “On to the next chapter” — a post which came shortly after Trump’s announcement. White followed up the image with another story post, a screenshot of the president’s statement.

White House-affiliated account Rapid Response 47 also posted a screenshot to social platform X of Trump’s Truth Social post.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request to confirm the offer.

Trump and White have had a close relationship in recent years. White’s UFC hosted a fight on the White House South Lawn over the summer, part of the ongoing celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. The CEO of UFC’s parent company, Andrew Schleimer, said it lost $30 million on the White House fight.

The attendance at the fight illustrated Trump’s cozy relationship with business leaders. Those attending the White House fight, which was broadcast exclusively on Paramount+, included Paramount CEO David Ellison and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, among other high-profile guests.

The White House has been searching for a permanent press secretary after the departure of Karoline Leavitt earlier this year. Trump briefly tapped political commentator Katie Zacharia for the job, but she was dismissed after less than a week in the role and only one short press briefing. Zacharia left the post after reports emerged that she had marketed herself as an attorney without passing the bar exam.

White would be an unconventional choice for Trump, though many in the president’s orbit did not come from political backgrounds before being nominated.