FILE – President Donald Trump salutes alongside UFC President and CEO Dana White as they arrive for UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, June 14, 2026, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he offered the job of White House press secretary to his friend and UFC boss Dana White, an unconventional announcement even for the norm-breaking president. White said Saturday that he planned to meet with Trump on Monday at the White House.
Trump, while at his golf club in Florida, posted on social media that he had nominated “the great Dana White, a violent fighter and warrior” to become the Republican president’s chief spokesperson.
White, who was in London on Saturday for a boxing event, was asked at a news conference about Trump’s message and responded by saying he planned to travel to Washington right after and meet with Trump on Monday.
When asked how he would balance his job with the positions he currently holds in the fighting world, White seemed confused by the question and then responded, “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of jobs.”
He declined to say what conversations he had with Trump, but said, “I’m sure I’ll have more to say after this.”
Before the press conference, the UFC official shared an image of Trump’s Instagram post, as well as an image of himself standing behind the podium in the White House press briefing room with the words “Let’s move on to the next chapter.”
The White House and a UFC spokesperson did not respond to messages Saturday seeking information about the Truth Social post.
Trump said in his message that he asked White to bring several UFC fighters as “assistants,” adding, “We need these people to defend us against the lunatic left.” Dana will be a press officer like no other. Dana, please accept the position!
Although White did not say whether he was seriously considering becoming the chief spokesperson for the president of the United States, he described elsewhere in his press conference his ambitions to expand the Zuffa Boxing organization he also runs with Saudi backers and to host more events around the world.
Trump’s post comes as the White House is in a major transition and grapples with his party’s heavy losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Historic victories by Democratic candidates, including in areas that Republicans had held for decades, led the Republican Party to lose control of both houses of Congress.
Trump announced Friday that he was replacing his longtime adviser Susie Wiles, seen as something of a tempering force on the president’s cues, with his aide Stephen Miller to become the next chief of staff. Miller is known as the architect of the administration’s hardline immigration policies and is among the most determined in Trump’s inner circle.
The shakeup within his administration follows the brief but tumultuous week in which Trump tried out a new press secretary in Katie Zacharia, who appeared uncomfortable in her only appearance before reporters before leaving the post after five days.
The position has been vacant since the departure of Karoline Leavitt at the end of August. Trump remains without a primary spokesperson.
Trump is close friends with White and has attended several UFC events with him since returning to the White House in January 2025.
He brought White and the sport to the South Lawn of the White House in June for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and the president’s 80th birthday. A metal mesh octagon was built near the executive mansion under “The Claw”, a spaceship-shaped metal arch equipped with lights, sound equipment and large screens.
“It was an incredible experience, it was unique,” White said afterward.
White also spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
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