President Donald Trump has publicly offered the White House press secretary job to UFC chief Dana White.
Trump, 78, made the surprise offer on Truth Social last Friday, naming the 56-year-old fight promoter for one of the most visible roles in his administration. The post came with an unusual request for backup.
“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 on Truth Social. “I have requested that he bring with him assistants, even though some are not from our Country, of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris. We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other.”
The president ended the post with a direct plea: “Dana, please take the job! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
White responded quickly on Instagram Stories, posting a photo of himself standing behind the podium in the White House press briefing room. The UFC CEO added a short caption that hinted at acceptance: “On to the next chapter.”
The two men have built a public friendship spanning years, with White speaking at Trump campaign rallies and the president regularly attending UFC events. Their alliance deepened in June when Trump hosted a historic UFC fight night on the White House grounds to mark America’s 250th anniversary. The president sat cage-side alongside First Lady Melania Trump and White for the event.
Following that June spectacle, Trump floated the idea of leaving the fighting cage permanently installed on the White House lawn.
The press secretary post became vacant earlier this month when Karoline Leavitt departed the role. Trump has since shown little urgency in filling the position through conventional channels, instead turning to a loyalist from the sports world with no prior political or communications experience.
White has run the UFC since 2001, guiding the mixed martial arts promotion from a struggling niche operation to a global sports empire valued in the billions. His brash, confrontational style has made him one of the most recognizable figures in combat sports.
The requested assistants named in Trump’s post represent a roll call of UFC champions and stars. Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are Russian-born fighters, with Nurmagomedov retired and Makhachev currently holding the lightweight title. Gaethje is an American fan favorite, Cormier a former two-division champion turned broadcaster, and Nunes widely considered the greatest female fighter in MMA history.
The inclusion of fighters “not from our Country” alongside the call to “defend us against the Lunatic Left” framed the offer as both an immigration talking point and a culture-war provocation, hallmarks of Trump’s social media style.
White’s “On to the next chapter” caption stopped short of explicit confirmation, but the photo choice — placing himself at the press briefing room podium — signaled serious consideration of the role. The Instagram Story post was later reported by multiple outlets tracking the exchange.
The offer represents the latest in a series of unorthodox staffing moves during Trump’s second term, which has seen entertainment figures and loyalists elevated to government positions. The prospect of a press secretary with no journalistic or political background, backed by active and retired fighters, would break with decades of precedent for the role.
Neither White nor the White House has issued additional statements beyond the social media exchange as of this weekend.
The June UFC event on White House grounds had already blurred lines between presidential duties and sports promotion, with Trump using the occasion to celebrate his own brand of American nationalism before a pay-per-view audience. Installing a permanent fighting cage on the lawn would have extended that fusion indefinitely.
Trump’s first term featured press secretaries who became household names, often through combative briefings that drew heavy television coverage. The role has diminished in visibility during his second term as Trump increasingly communicates directly through social media.
White has never held elected office or worked in government. His management of the UFC has been marked by aggressive expansion, fighter pay controversies, and a willingness to stage events during the COVID-19 pandemic when most major sports had shut down.