Trump called White "a violent Fighter and Warrior" and asked him to bring UFC fighters as assistants. White, who swore off politics after 2024, hasn't said yes.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA (Nov. 7, 2026)
The short version
At 1:40 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 7, Trump posted on Truth Social that UFC CEO Dana White "has been offered the job of Press Secretary."
The job has been vacant since Oct. 16, when Katie Zacharia left after four days, the shortest tenure on record.
White told The New Yorker in November 2024 he would never work on a campaign again.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday he has offered UFC chief executive Dana White the job of White House press secretary and publicly urged him to take it.
"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social at 1:40 p.m. ET, according to the Trump's Truth archive.
Trump said he had asked White to bring along fighters as assistants, "even though some are not from our Country": Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and "Kayla Harris." (Trump appears to mean two-time Olympic judo champion Kayla Harrison.)
"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," he wrote. "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"
Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are from Russia's Dagestan region; Nunes is Brazilian. None of the fighters has public communications or government experience.
White, the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, had not publicly responded as of Saturday afternoon. FMNN will update this story with any response from White, UFC or its parent company, TKO.
An empty podium
The press secretary job has been open for three weeks. Karoline Leavitt left on Aug. 27. Her successor, Katie Zacharia, started Oct. 12 and was out by Oct. 16 after a shaky first briefing, CNBC reported.
On Oct. 30, Trump called the idea of rapper Nicki Minaj as press secretary "a good idea," though no offer followed, Ground News reported.
Who Dana White is
White has run the UFC for more than two decades and is one of Trump's closest friends outside politics. He spoke for Trump at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Republican conventions and introduced him on election night in 2024.
In June, White staged UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn on Trump's 80th birthday, according to TIME.
After the 2024 election, White told The New Yorker he would never again help with a presidential campaign, The National News Desk reported. He also said then he did not plan to join the administration, theScore reported.
Why it matters now
The offer came less than an hour after Trump ordered the Justice Department to "look into" Democrats planning oversight of his administration, as FMNN reported. It follows Friday's promotion of Stephen Miller to chief of staff, also reported by FMNN.
Whoever takes the podium will speak for the White House as Democrats take subpoena power in January.
Related reading
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Sources
Trump's Truth Social post, 1:40 p.m. ET, Nov. 7 (Trump's Truth archive) — https://www.trumpstruth.org/statuses/43508
NX Noticias — https://nxnoticias.com/trump-ofrece-a-dana-white-presidente-de-ufc-ser-secretario-de-prensa-de-la-casa-blanca/
CNBC — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/16/trump-katie-zacharia-white-house.html
The Washington Post — https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/12/new-white-house-press-secretary-begins-her-term/
Ground News — https://ground.news/article/does-the-singer-nicky-menage-become-the-next-white-house-spokesman
TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/05/26/dana-white-ufc-white-house-fight-interview/
The National News Desk — https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/dana-white-vows-to-abandon-politics-after-backing-trump-never-fing-doing-this-again-ultimate-fighting-championship-ufc-presidential-election-campaign
theScore — https://www.thescore.com/mma/news/3121154/white-says-he-wont-join-trump-administration