Trump says he offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary job
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The gist
President Donald Trump posted that UFC CEO Dana White has been "offered" the White House press secretary job.
The offer's seriousness is questioned, and White has said he has no political ambitions.
Background
Dana White, 57, is president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the mixed-martial-arts promotion, and is described as one of Trump's closest and longest-standing friends. Their relationship goes back more than two decades, when Trump hosted UFC events at his Atlantic City casinos while the organization was struggling to find venues; White has spoken on Trump's behalf at Republican conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024. The post came hours after Trump nominated Stephen Miller to be his new White House chief of staff.
How it unfolded
- Nov 7, 2026Trump nominated Stephen Miller to be his new White House chief of staff.
- Nov 7, 2026Hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that UFC CEO Dana White had been "offered" the White House press secretary job and asked him to "please take the job."
- Nov 7, 2026In the same post, Trump asked White to bring "assistants" — naming UFC fighters including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris — to "defend us against the Lunatic Left."
- Nov 7, 2026Rapid Response 47 posted a screenshot of Trump's Truth Social post on X.
Key terms
- White House press secretary
- A senior White House official who acts as spokesperson for the U.S. executive branch and the president.
- White House chief of staff
- The head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a senior aide leading White House staff operations.
- Truth Social
- An American social media platform owned by Trump Media & Technology Group.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Trump said he offered White the job, asked him to "please take the job," and requested he bring UFC fighters as assistants to "defend us against the Lunatic Left."
- Caution
- The New York Post reported the offer might have been tongue-in-cheek, noting Trump posted images of growling UFC fighters along with one of White in a suit behind a podium.
- Caution
- Scripps News said it had reached out to the White House for more details on the legitimacy of the statement.
Still unverified
The New York Post reported the offer might have been tongue-in-cheek; Scripps News said it sought White House confirmation of the statement's legitimacy; Trump did not say whether White accepted; White has previously said he has no political ambitions and is not interested in a government position.