Trump asks UFC boss to become White House press secretary

US President Donald Trump offered UFC CEO Dana White the post of White House press secretary over the weekend, but later clarified that he had been joking about tapping the 57-year-old mixed martial arts tycoon for the job, though the two are set to meet. The post has remained vacant for several weeks.

Referring to his longtime friend as a “violent Fighter and Warrior,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday that he had asked White to “bring with him assistants, even though some are not from our Country.”

“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump claimed, listing Russian mixed martial artists Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, current and former US fighters Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, and Kayla Harrison, as well as Brazil’s Amanda Nunes.

“Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” Trump stated.

Speaking to reporters after a boxing event in London on Saturday, White said he was heading to the US capital immediately. “I’m flying to Washington, DC right now,” he said.

Asked how he would balance the White House position with his existing responsibilities, White replied: “Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already.”

The UFC boss declined to elaborate on his previous conversations with Trump or say whether he intended to accept the offer. “We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that,” he said.

Earlier, White posted an AI-generated clip of himself at the podium in the White House press briefing room on Instagram, with the caption “On to the next chapter.”

Speaking to reporters in Florida on Sunday, Trump insisted that his offer had not been serious. “I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy,” he said, describing the announcement as “just a little fun.” Trump added that he would meet White at the White House on Monday to discuss other matters.

CNN had earlier reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that White had declined the offer, while a White House aide confirmed that Trump was indeed joking about the offer.

Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia stepped down in mid-October after just five days on the job, the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary in US history. The conservative political commentator had faced widespread criticism over her handling of her debut press briefing, as well as allegations that she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer after she failed to confirm whether she had passed a US bar exam.

READ MORE: Trump’s press secretary out after just five days

She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who assumed the position after Trump returned to office in January 2025 and stepped down in August, ostensibly to spend more time with her family.

As for White, Trump has had a close relationship with the UFC CEO for years. The promotion company helped organize a fight on the White House South Lawn in June as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

Speaking last April, White said that unlike multiple other sports organizations that barred Russian athletes from competitions after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the UFC had never ceased cooperation with mixed martial artists from the country.

The potential appointment comes amid a broader White House reshuffle following the Republicans’ bruising defeat in the midterm elections. On Friday, Trump announced that his longtime adviser, immigration hardliner Stephen Miller, would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, effective Monday. Wiles, who had served in the role since Trump returned to office, will move to his political operation.