UFC CEO Dana White Declines Trump’s Offer to Become White House Press Secretary: Report
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief executive Dana White has turned down President Donald Trump’s offer to become White House press secretary, CNN reported on Saturday, citing a source familiar with the matter. Neither the White House nor the UFC has confirmed it.
Trump made the offer public 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,” he wrote.
He proposed that White bring UFC stars as assistants, naming Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison. “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote. “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!”
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A JOKE, OR NOT?
A White House aide told CNN that Trump was joking about the proposal. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, however, reposted the message on X with the caption: “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!”
White himself has been less clear. Asked about the offer at a news conference, he deflected, saying only that he plans to fly to Washington to meet Trump on Monday. He also posted an AI-generated image of himself at the White House podium on his Instagram story with the words “On to the next chapter.”
A VACANT PODIUM
The post has been vacant since October 16, when Trump removed Katie Zacharia after five days and a single, rocky briefing, the shortest tenure of any press secretary. She had come under scrutiny over her legal background. Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, served from January 2025 until the end of August this year, when she left, saying she wanted to spend more time with her young family.
The search for a new spokesperson comes as the White House prepares for tougher congressional oversight after Democrats won both the House and the Senate in this week’s midterm elections.
Trump has now had six press secretaries across his two terms. White and Trump have known each other for decades.
With inputs from ANI