United States President, Donald Trump, has publicly asked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief executive, Dana White, to take up the position of White House press secretary, following the recent departure of Katie Zacharia from the role.
Trump made the request in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, describing White as an unconventional choice for the position.
“Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” Trump wrote. “Dana, please take the job!”
However, it remains unclear whether the president’s offer was serious. White later confirmed that he would meet Trump at the White House on Monday, although he did not indicate whether he was willing to accept the position.
The vacancy arose in mid-October after Zacharia resigned less than five days into the job.
Trump’s latest announcement also comes in the wake of the Republican Party’s defeat in the US midterm elections, which saw the party lose its congressional majorities.
In his post, Trump described White as “a violent Fighter and Warrior” and suggested that the UFC boss bring several prominent fighters along to the White House, “even though some are not from our Country”.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” the president added, alongside photographs of six fighters.
White also fuelled speculation about the offer by sharing an Instagram photograph of himself standing behind the lectern in the White House press briefing room, with the caption, “On to the next chapter.”
It was unclear whether the post was intended as a joke.
White addressed the development while speaking to reporters after a boxing event in London on Saturday night, where British former world champion Chris Billam-Smith fought Jamaican-born British boxer Cheavon Clarke at the Copper Box Arena.
“I got a lot of jobs already,” White said, confirming that he was travelling to Washington for a meeting with Trump on Monday.
“I’m sure we’ll have something to talk about after that,” he added, without directly addressing whether he would accept the offer.
CNN, however, cited a source familiar with the matter as saying White had declined the idea.
White already has several demanding responsibilities, including overseeing the UFC and Power Slap, a regulated slap-fighting promotion.
He recently launched Zuffa Boxing, a professional boxing promotion company, and was appointed to the board of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, last year.
The UFC chief executive is also a longtime friend and political ally of Trump.
White has supported the president at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and appeared on stage during Trump’s 2024 election victory speech.
White has credited Trump with helping the UFC survive its early struggles by hosting two events at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 2001.
The relationship between the two men was further highlighted this summer when the UFC staged a cage fight on the White House lawn.
