US President Donald Trump has offered UFC chief Dana White the job of White House press secretary, and asked him to bring six mixed martial arts fighters along as his assistants. Trump made the Dana White press secretary offer in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, ending his message with the words: “Dana, please take the job!”
“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. He asked White to bring Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison with him as assistants, “even though some are not from our Country”.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump added. “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other.”
White, 57, is president and chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has not formally accepted, and neither the White House nor the UFC has announced an appointment. The White House and TKO Group, the UFC’s parent company, did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
White did respond on social media, posting a photoshopped image of himself at the White House podium with the caption “On to the next chapter”. He also shared a screenshot of Trump’s post. White House communications director Steven Cheung reposted the message, adding: “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!”
Is the Dana White press secretary offer serious?
It is not yet clear whether Trump means the offer literally. The president is known for sharing satirical posts, and several outlets noted signs that the announcement may have been tongue in cheek. The post carried photos of the six fighters, and a shot of White in a suit behind a podium bearing the presidential seal.
The BBC reported that it had asked the White House and TKO Holdings for comment, and that it was unclear whether the offer was genuine. CNN said it had also reached out to both sides. Until White gives a direct answer, the post stays open and the offer stays a social media announcement rather than an appointment.
The six names cover a mix of nationalities. Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are both from Dagestan in Russia. Gaethje, Cormier and Harrison are Americans, while Nunes was born in Brazil and became a US citizen last year. Trump wrote the last name as “Kayla Harris”, which outlets read as a reference to Kayla Harrison.
A post empty since October
The press secretary job has been vacant since October 16, when Katie Zacharia left after only five days in the role. Her stint was the shortest in the history of the post, and her exit followed days of public scrutiny.
Zacharia had acknowledged that she had failed the bar exam, a requirement for practising law in the United States. She had earlier described herself as a lawyer on television and social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative non-profit. Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job after the scrutiny.
“I told her: ‘I think you’re better off being happy, and I’m not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.’ There’s nothing easy about this stuff,” Trump told reporters at the time.
The job does not need Senate approval, so a yes from White would be enough for him to start. The press secretary speaks for the president and answers questions from reporters at public briefings. Democrats swept Congress in the midterm elections, and Trump has weighed US strikes on Iran in the weeks since that result.
White’s long alliance with Trump
White and Trump go back years, and the UFC chief has been one of the president’s most visible supporters in sport. Earlier this year, the UFC staged an event on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, a first for the promotion.
That history is part of why the offer drew so much attention. A press secretary normally comes from politics or communications, not professional sport, and White has no record in government.
JD Vance has moved to build his own brand for 2028 after the midterm rout, and the United States has set up a task force to block Iranian land trade alongside its naval blockade. A new press secretary would step into that briefing room at a demanding moment.
For now, White has given no formal answer beyond his Instagram post. If he accepts, the White House would gain a press secretary like no other. If he declines, the search for a new voice at the podium will go on.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dana White?
Dana White, 57, is the president and chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. He is a longtime ally of Donald Trump.
Has Dana White accepted the press secretary job?
No. White has not formally accepted the offer. He posted a photoshopped image of himself at the White House podium on Instagram with the caption “On to the next chapter”, but neither he nor the UFC has confirmed that he will take the job.
Who would join White as his assistants?
Trump asked White to bring six current or former UFC titleholders as assistants: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison.
Why is the White House press secretary job vacant?
The post has been empty since October 16, when Katie Zacharia left after only five days in the role, the shortest stint in the job’s history. She left after public scrutiny of her legal credentials.
Does the press secretary need Senate approval?
No. The White House press secretary does not need Senate confirmation, so a candidate can start as soon as the president appoints them.
