President Donald Trump offered UFC President and CEO Dana White the position of press secretary on Saturday.
In an article on Truth Social, the president said the offer extended to White’s aides, “even if some are not from our country.”
“We need these people to defend us against the lunatic left,” Trump wrote. “Dana will be a press secretary like no other. Dana, please accept the job!”
Apparently, in response to Trump’s message, White posted a photo of himself on Instagram, standing behind the White House press secretary’s lectern, with the caption “Let’s move on to the next chapter.” It is unclear whether White accepted the position or is simply acknowledging the president’s request in jest.
In October, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia stepped down as press secretary, just five days into her tenure replacing Karole Levitt.
The president told reporters that he suggested Zacharia resign after her first and only press briefing in which, during her six minutes answering questions from behind the lectern, she took questions from only three White House reporters.
“I just talked to him about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?'” Trump said outside the White House on October 16.
The president’s call to White follows Friday’s announcement that Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, would be promoted to chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.
Trump’s stunning shakeup comes just three days after Democrats won a landslide victory in the midterm elections, securing majority control in the House and Senate.
The president and White have a long-standing friendship. During Trump’s first campaign in 2016, White praised the then-Republican candidate and called him a “fighter.”
“Nobody took us seriously. Nobody. Except Donald Trump. Donald was the first to recognize the potential we saw in the UFC and encouraged us to grow our business,” White said.
And for his 80th birthdayth In June, President Trump hosted a UFC match – dubbed UFC Freedom 250 – on the South Lawn of the White House.
The White House and UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
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