Donald Trump offers White House press secretary job to UFC boss Dana White

President Donald Trump has offered the high-profile role of White House press secretary to Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White, urging the mixed martial arts promoter to bring a roster of international combat athletes with him to Washington to defend the administration against political opponents.

The unusual job offer was broadcast on Truth Social, where President Trump described the long-time sports executive as a violent Fighter and Warrior and implored him to accept the post, according to reporting by the Mirror. Alongside the pitch for White, the president requested that the promoter bring an entourage of prominent current and former fighters to serve as assistants in the executive mansion.

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Donald Trump offers UFC boss job as his press secretary

The requested entourage includes several international champions, with Trump noting in his announcement that some are not from our Country. The names listed by the president include Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris, whose surname was misspelled in the original post, as noted by Mother Jones. Trump stated that these individuals were needed to defend us against the Lunatic Left, accompanied by images of the fighters and a photograph of White standing at the presidential podium, as reported by Baller Alert.

Shortly after the announcement, The Blast reported that White acknowledged the pitch by sharing an Instagram Stories photograph of himself standing behind the White House press briefing room lectern, captioned with the phrase On to the next chapter. Outlets including the BBC noted that it remained unclear whether the exchange was entirely serious or a tongue-in-cheek interaction between longtime friends.

The press secretary vacancy has been open since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia departed the position after a tenure lasting only five days, which included a brief press briefing and difficult television appearances, according to the New York Post. Zacharia's departure followed the earlier exit of Karoline Leavitt in August. The communications shuffle coincides with broader staff changes at the White House following a difficult electoral outcome for the Republican Party in the midterm elections, where Democrats gained control of both the House and Senate, as detailed by the Manchester Evening News and the Somerset County Gazette. In response to the congressional losses, Trump replaced White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with long-time aide Stephen Miller.

The relationship between Trump and White spans more than two decades. According to the BBC, Trump supported the fledgling mixed martial arts organization in 2001 by hosting early UFC events at his Atlantic City properties when mainstream venues refused to accommodate the sport due to heavy political backlash. In return, White became a prominent political surrogate for Trump, speaking at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and hosting a celebratory cage fight event on the White House lawn in June.

Observers note that the intersection of combat sports and the president's political coalition has played a measurable role in voter outreach. As highlighted by Mother Jones, analysts have pointed out that the UFC's extensive media network and connections to figures like podcast host Joe Rogan helped broaden the campaign's reach among key demographic groups during recent electoral cycles.

Neither the White House nor representatives for the Ultimate Fighting Championship have formally confirmed whether an official appointment will take place or if White intends to step away from his corporate responsibilities to enter government service, according to reporting by The Economic Times.