Trump Offers White House Press Secretary Job to UFC Chief Dana White

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, via his Truth Social account, that he has offered the job of White House press secretary to Dana White, president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization. The post has been vacant since October 16, when Katie Zacharia left after less than a week in the role.

White's response

Trump urged White in his post to take the job. White did not explicitly accept, but he posted a photo, possibly AI-generated, showing him behind the lectern in the White House press briefing room, captioned "On to the next chapter." The White House amplified the announcement by publishing a screenshot of the president's post on one of its official accounts.

Other UFC fighters

Trump asked six current or former UFC titleholders to join White. They include Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both from Russia's Dagestan region; Americans Justin Gaethje and Daniel Cormier; "Kayla Harris," likely a reference to Kayla Harrison; and Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian native who became a US citizen last year. Trump wrote that these people were needed to defend the country against the "Lunatic Left."

Ties to the UFC

White, 57, runs the UFC, the largest organization in mixed martial arts, whose cage fights are broadcast worldwide. He and Trump are old friends, and the president has often tried to link his MAGA brand of politics with the UFC. On Trump's 80th birthday in June, the UFC staged a cage match on the White House South Lawn. When Trump won reelection in 2024, White appeared alongside him for the victory speech, and he has since joined the board of directors of Meta, a move many saw as a sign of the tech company's conservative shift.