Trump offers press secretary post to UFC chief Dana White
Seven Lights
President Trump said Saturday that he had offered the position of White House press secretary to Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a longtime ally.
“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 posted on Truth Social. Trump said he had also asked White to bring six UFC fighters as assistants: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris. He acknowledged that “some are not from our Country.”
It was unclear whether the offer was part of an actual plan or an attention-grabbing stunt by a president seeking to change the subject after deep losses for his party in this week’s elections. White, a vocal supporter who campaigned for Trump in 2024, did not immediately accept or comment on the offer. No start date or Senate confirmation process, neither of which the press secretary role requires, was announced.
The two men have close ties. White staged a cage-fighting spectacle at the White House in June to mark the nation’s 250th birthday and the president’s 80th, an event billed as “UFC Freedom 250.” Trump’s description of White as a fighter and warrior as a qualification for the briefing room was unlike any used for previous press secretaries.
Two of the named assistants, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, are not American citizens. Nurmagomedov is reportedly close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Makhachev has spoken in defense of Palestinian civilians killed by Israel in Gaza. Trump did not address either point.
The announcement followed Trump’s decision this week to replace chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, a reshuffle that left the West Wing communications operation in flux.
The White House did not say whether White had formally accepted. If he takes the post, his first briefing would place the longtime promoter of pay-per-view combat sports at the lectern from which his predecessors answered daily questions on war, the economy and the administration’s legal fights.