President Donald Trump has announced that he offered the role of White House press secretary to Dana White, the president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The nature of the offer remains ambiguous, as it is unclear whether Trump was speaking seriously or engaging in humor.
If accepted, the position would fill the vacancy created by the dismissal of Katie Zacharia, who served for only five days after being appointed last month. Zacharia, a conservative commentator without legal qualifications, conducted a single press briefing before her termination due to performance issues.
On Truth Social, Trump stated, “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 further requested that White bring assistants, naming UFC fighters Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris, to “defend us against the Lunatic Left,” emphasizing that White would be an unconventional choice for the role.
The individuals mentioned as potential assistants are all current or former professional mixed martial arts fighters.
As of now, Dana White has not publicly confirmed his acceptance of the position.
This incident follows a pattern of Trump using the press secretary vacancy for provocative statements, including a recent joke about appointing musician Nikki Minaj. In a separate move, Trump appointed Stephen Miller, a key figure in several controversial policies, to the role of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.
White and Trump share a long-standing friendship, and the UFC CEO previously hosted a mixed martial arts event on the White House lawn to celebrate the president’s 80th birthday.