Published: 8 November 2026 | USA 247 Trend Post
President Donald Trump has offered the job of White House press secretary to Dana White, the president and chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in a social media post that instantly became one of the most talked-about political stories of the weekend. White said on Saturday that he will fly to Washington and meet Trump on Monday to discuss it — but whether the offer is a serious appointment or a joke remains unclear, and at least one major news outlet has reported that White has already turned it down.
Trump announced the offer on Saturday, 7 November 2026, in a post on Truth Social, writing: "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." He added: "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"
The short version: the press secretary job has been vacant since October, when Katie Zacharia left after only five days in the role. Trump says he wants White — a longtime friend and supporter — to take it, and he even asked White to bring several UFC fighters along as assistants. White has not accepted, and reporting from CNN suggests he may already have declined. The two men are due to meet on Monday, 9 November, when the picture should become clearer.
Table of Contents
- 1. The Announcement: What Trump Posted
- 2. The Fighter Assistants: Who Trump Named
- 3. Dana White's Response: A Trip to Washington
- 4. Is the Offer Serious? What CNN Reported
- 5. Who Is Dana White?
- 6. Why the Press Secretary Job Is Open
- 7. Trump and the UFC: A Long Relationship
- 8. What Happens Next
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. The Announcement: What Trump Posted
Trump made the announcement on Saturday, 7 November, while at his golf club in Florida, according to reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters. The post on Truth Social, accompanied by photos of UFC athletes, read in full: "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."
In the same post, Trump wrote: "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," before adding: "We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"
The post came just four days after the midterm elections on Tuesday, 3 November, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, and one day after Trump named Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff. The timing — a weekend of major personnel news from a White House reshaping itself after an election defeat — helped the story spread quickly across social media and news outlets.
USA Today, which first reported the offer in detail, noted that the president "is known for sharing satirical content on his social media platform, so it remains unclear whether White is seriously being considered for the open post." That uncertainty has defined the story ever since.
2. The Fighter Assistants: Who Trump Named
One of the strangest parts of Trump's post was his request that White bring six current and former UFC title holders with him as assistants. The list, as reported by Reuters and Al Jazeera, comprised Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both from Russia's Dagestan region; Americans Justin Gaethje and Daniel Cormier; Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian who became a US citizen last year; and "Kayla Harris" — which Al Jazeera noted is likely a reference to Kayla Harrison, the American two-time Olympic judo champion who now fights in the UFC.
None of the six has publicly commented on the idea, and there is no indication that any of them has been contacted about a White House role. The suggestion appears to be part of the post's theatrical framing rather than a formal staffing plan — but as with the offer itself, the White House has not clarified which parts, if any, are serious.
The list underlines how unusual the announcement was. The White House press secretary is the president's chief spokesperson, responsible for daily briefings with the press corps, answering questions on policy, and communicating the administration's positions to the public. It is a job that normally goes to a communications professional or a longtime political aide, not to the head of a sports promotion — let alone to a team of professional fighters.
3. Dana White's Response: A Trip to Washington
White, 57, was in London on Saturday for a boxing event when Trump's post appeared. Asked about the offer at a news conference after the event, he said he was flying to Washington immediately and would meet Trump on Monday. "I'm flying to Washington, DC, right now," White said, according to USA Today. "We have a meeting on Monday, so I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that."
White declined to go into specifics about the offer at the news conference, and he did not say whether he would accept. But his social media activity suggested he was enjoying the moment: he posted a photo of himself standing behind the lectern in the White House briefing room on his Instagram Stories, captioned "On to the next chapter," and he reposted Trump's message.
The Monday meeting is now the key date. If White accepts, it would be one of the most unconventional appointments in modern White House history. If he declines, the story will likely be remembered as one of the stranger episodes of a turbulent post-election week.
4. Is the Offer Serious? What CNN Reported
Before White's London news conference, CNN reported that White had turned down the offer, according to reporting cited by the Financial Express and the Khaleej Times. A White House source told CNN that Trump was joking about the offer, according to the Arizona Republic (azcentral).
That reporting sits uneasily alongside White's own words — he is flying to Washington for a meeting on Monday, which suggests the conversation is not entirely over. It is also possible that both things are true: that Trump made the offer partly in jest, that White declined a formal role, and that the two men still plan to discuss it in person.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from USA Today, and no official statement has clarified the offer's status. Until the White House or White himself says more, the story remains in a grey area — which is itself part of why it has attracted so much attention. Covering the Trump administration often involves exactly this kind of ambiguity, and the press secretary job, of all jobs, is the one whose occupant would normally clear it up.
5. Who Is Dana White?
Dana White is the president and chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion, which he has run for more than two decades. Under his leadership, the UFC grew from a niche, controversial sport into a global entertainment business worth billions of dollars.
The UFC's parent company, TKO Holdings, reported revenue of $519.2 million from the MMA promotion in the third quarter of 2026, according to USA Today. White, 57, remains the public face of the organisation, known for his blunt style, his close control over matchmaking, and his willingness to speak his mind in public — qualities that, his supporters say, would make him a formidable press secretary, and that his critics say would make him a poor fit for a job that requires careful, precise communication.
White is also a longtime friend and supporter of Trump. He has spoken at Republican events, campaigned for the president, and appeared alongside him at UFC events. Trump has attended UFC fights regularly, and in June 2026 the UFC held an event — UFC Freedom 250 — on the South Lawn of the White House. The two men have publicly praised each other for years, and White's loyalty to Trump is not in doubt. Whether that loyalty translates into a job in the West Wing is another question.
6. Why the Press Secretary Job Is Open
The White House press secretary role has been vacant since October, when Katie Zacharia left the job after only five days. USA Today and Reuters both report that Zacharia's tenure lasted five days; People magazine described it as about a week. Either way, it was one of the shortest tenures ever for a White House press secretary.
Zacharia's departure followed a pattern of turnover in the role during Trump's second term, and it left the administration without a regular briefer at a critical moment — just weeks before the midterm elections and at the start of a new period of divided government. The job has remained open since, with briefings handled on an ad hoc basis.
That vacancy is part of a wider reshuffle. On Friday, 6 November, Trump named Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. The administration is also facing the prospect of a Democratic-controlled Congress from January, government funding that expires on 11 December, and a series of high-profile policy fights. In that context, the choice of press secretary matters — the person in the job will be the public face of the administration's response to all of it.
7. Trump and the UFC: A Long Relationship
Trump's relationship with the UFC goes back years. He hosted early UFC events at his Atlantic City casinos in the 2000s, when the sport was struggling for mainstream acceptance, and he has been a visible presence at UFC fights ever since. White has credited Trump with helping the sport survive its early years, and Trump has returned the favour with public praise and appearances.
The relationship deepened during Trump's political career. White spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and again in later campaigns, and he introduced Trump at rallies. Trump, in turn, has attended UFC events as president, walking out to loud cheers from crowds that have become one of the most reliable pro-Trump audiences in American public life.
The June 2026 White House UFC event was the most visible symbol of that relationship: a professional fight card staged on the South Lawn, with Trump in attendance. Against that background, an offer — serious or not — for White to join the administration is less surprising than it might look. The two men have spent years promoting each other, and the line between Trump's political world and the UFC's entertainment world has grown increasingly thin.
8. What Happens Next
All eyes are now on Monday, 9 November, when White is due to meet Trump at the White House. That meeting should settle the question of whether the offer is real — and whether White is interested.
If White declines, Trump will need to find another press secretary, and the search will return to more conventional candidates. The job is a difficult one at the best of times, and it will be harder still in the coming months, with a Democratic Congress, a funding deadline in December, and a White House under pressure to explain its agenda after the midterm defeat.
If White accepts, the White House briefing room will look very different. A press secretary who has spent his career promoting fights would bring a combative, unfiltered style to a job that has traditionally been about managing the message — and the daily briefings would become must-watch television for reasons that have nothing to do with policy. Either way, the story has already shown how Trump, even after an election defeat, can still dominate the news cycle with a single social media post.
For now, the facts are simple: the offer was made, White is flying to Washington, and on Monday the two men will talk. What they decide will determine whether this was a joke, a trial balloon, or the most unusual White House appointment in living memory.
FAQs About Dana White and the Press Secretary Job
Did Trump really offer Dana White the press secretary job?
Yes. Trump posted the offer on Truth Social on Saturday, 7 November 2026, writing that White "has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States" and urging him to "please take the job!"
Has Dana White accepted the job?
Not as of Sunday, 8 November. White said he will meet Trump at the White House on Monday, 9 November, to discuss the offer. CNN reported before White's news conference that he had turned it down, and a White House source told CNN that Trump was joking, but White's planned Monday meeting leaves the question open.
Who did Trump ask White to bring as assistants?
Trump named six UFC fighters: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and "Kayla Harris" — likely a reference to Kayla Harrison. None has publicly commented.
Why is the press secretary job vacant?
The role has been open since October 2026, when Katie Zacharia left after only five days on the job, according to USA Today and Reuters.
Who is Dana White?
White, 57, is the president and CEO of the UFC, the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion. He is a longtime friend and supporter of President Trump.
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