U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has offered the position of White House press secretary to Dana White, the UFC boss and a close friend of the president, a move that would be unconventional even by the standards of a president known for breaking norms.
Trump announced the offer in a social media post while at his golf club in Florida, describing White as "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior" and inviting him to serve as the Republican president's chief spokesperson.
White, who was in London on Saturday for a boxing event, was asked about the post during a news conference and said he planned to fly to Washington immediately afterward to meet with Trump at the White House on Monday.
When pressed on how he would juggle the role with his existing positions in the fighting world, White appeared puzzled by the question before responding, "Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already." He would not disclose what discussions he had already held with Trump, saying only, "I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that."
Ahead of the news conference, White shared an image of Trump's post on Instagram, paired with a photo of himself at the podium in the White House press briefing room captioned "On to the next chapter." Neither the White House nor a UFC spokesperson responded Saturday to questions about the Truth Social post.
In his post, Trump said he asked White to bring several UFC fighters along as "assistants," writing, "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!"
White stopped short of confirming whether he was seriously weighing the job. Elsewhere in the news conference, he spoke instead about his ambitions to grow Zuffa Boxing, the organization he runs with Saudi Arabian backers, and to stage more of its events internationally.
Trump's announcement comes as his White House undergoes a major shake-up following his party's steep losses in Tuesday's midterm elections, when historic Democratic wins, including in districts Republicans had held for decades, cost the GOP control of both chambers of Congress. On Friday, Trump said he was replacing longtime adviser Susie Wiles, viewed as a tempering influence on his impulses, with aide Stephen Miller as the next chief of staff. Miller is known as the architect of the administration's hard-line immigration policies.
The turmoil follows a brief and rocky stretch in which Katie Zacharia was tried out as press secretary, appearing uncomfortable in her only session with reporters before departing after five days. The post has been vacant since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August, leaving Trump without a chief spokesperson.
Trump and White are longtime friends, and the president has attended several UFC events with him since returning to the White House in January 2025. In June, Trump brought White and the sport to the South Lawn for a celebration of America's 250th year of independence and his own 80th birthday, with a wire-mesh Octagon erected near the executive mansion. White has also spoken at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
