Trump taps Dana White for White House press secretary, cheering a tough outsider and baffling the internet
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he has offered the White House press secretary position to UFC president Dana White, prompting social-media users to joke about whether he had confused him with another Dana White and highlighting Trump's unconventional approach.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he has offered the White House press secretary job to Dana White, the president and chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The announcement, made on Saturday, included the line, "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. Dana, please take the job!"
The UFC executive has not confirmed whether he will accept the role, but he shared an AI-generated image of himself behind the podium in the White House briefing room with the caption "On to the next chapter." He also posted a screenshot of Trump's announcement.
Social media users quickly began speculating that Trump might have confused the UFC boss with another Dana White, a former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. One user, Spencer T. Hakimian, posted a video joking that a recommendation error led to the mix-up. Journalist Vitus "V" Spehar also highlighted the possibility, noting that the other Dana White is a longtime journalist and communications professional who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense during Trump's first term.
The discussion arises as the White House press secretary position has been vacant since October 16, when Katie Zacharia left after a brief tenure marked by criticism of her qualifications. Trump previously announced Zacharia as the successor to Karoline Leavitt.
In his statement, Trump said he hopes the UFC chief would bring six UFC fighters into the White House as advisers, including two Russians and a Brazilian, despite some not being U.S. citizens.