President Trump offers UFC fighter Dana White a White House press secretary role

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he would like UFC chief Dana White to serve as White House press secretary, writing, "Dana, please take the job!" The offer comes as the press secretary position has been vacant since mid-October, after Katie Zacharia left the role.

The White House and UFC, including its parent company TKO Group Holdings, have not responded to BBC inquiries about whether the invitation is official. In the same post, Trump described White as "a violent Fighter and Warrior" and suggested that several high-profile UFC fighters could accompany him, adding that they would help "defend us against the Lunatic Left."

White later posted an Instagram photo of himself behind the lectern in the White House press briefing room with the caption, "On to the next chapter," though it was unclear if the image was intended seriously.

White, who also leads Zuffa Boxing, was recently at a UFC bout in London between Chris Billam-Smith and Cheavon Clarke. He has previously criticized media coverage of UFC events, including a 2020 video questioning reporters' concerns about pandemic-era fights and a 2009 video that used an anti-gay slur while disputing a journalist's story about backstage credentialing.

"None of the venues wanted [the UFC]," White told CBS, the BBC's US partner, in 2025. "They didn't believe in it. They didn't like it, and they were worried about the type of crowd that would show up for this type of event."