Dana White has responded after President Donald Trump publicly offered him the position of White House press secretary on Saturday, November 7.
The UFC boss took to social media shortly after the 80-year-old president made the announcement on Truth Social, surprising many with his reaction.
White and Trump have been close friends for years and previously worked together on the high-profile UFC Freedom 250 event, held on the White House lawn on June 14.
The event was organised as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, with Trump watching the fights from a front-row seat.
Now, several months later, the president has approached his longtime friend with another unexpected request.
Following the departure of the previous press secretary and a brief attempt to appoint a replacement, the Trump administration is once again facing the challenge of filling the important communications position.
Donald Trump’s Message to Dana White
Trump made no secret of his enthusiasm about the possibility of White joining his administration.
In a post on Truth Social, the president not only offered him the position but also suggested that he bring several well-known mixed martial arts fighters along as part of his communications team.
He wrote:
“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.
“I have requested that he bring with him assistants, even though some are not from our Country, of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris.
“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! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he concluded.
Dana White’s Response
Rather than immediately accepting or rejecting the offer, White responded directly through his Instagram Story.
The 57-year-old shared a photograph of himself standing behind the official White House press secretary’s lectern.
He captioned the image: “On to the next chapter.”
White also reposted Trump’s entire Truth Social announcement on his Instagram Story, although he did not add any further comments.
The pair have maintained a friendship for more than 20 years. Trump previously hosted early UFC events at his Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City when the mixed martial arts organisation struggled to secure venues with more established promoters.
White has returned that support over the years, appearing as a speaker at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Other members of Trump’s administration also reacted to the announcement.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung reposted the president’s message and enthusiastically wrote: “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!”
White House Struggles to Fill Press Secretary Role
The White House has reportedly been searching for a permanent replacement for more than two months following Karoline Leavitt’s departure after nearly two years in the position. She stepped down to focus on her family.
The role was subsequently filled for only five days by political commentator Katie Zacharia, whose brief appointment ended following a widely criticised first press briefing that lasted less than 15 minutes.
Zacharia began by telling reporters that she was “so honored” to be working for President Trump and explained that she had “wanted to work for him for a very long time”.
However, the briefing quickly became difficult as she appeared to struggle while reading from her notes and responding to journalists’ questions. She also reportedly confused her husband with Trump.
Several days later, Trump appeared to suggest that Zacharia should reconsider remaining in the position.
He said:
“I said to Katie just two minutes ago, I said, Katie, you know, you don’t have to do this… the news has been so nasty to her.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. And I said, I said to her honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,
“You think about it, but I wouldn’t reconsider. She’s got a beautiful husband and family … maybe it’s not for her,” he added.
Zacharia has since claimed that the media and people across Washington made it extremely difficult for her to perform her duties.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung previously confirmed that although Zacharia would be leaving the press secretary position, she would be “transitioning into a new role that will be announced at a later date.”
For now, White has not publicly confirmed whether he intends to accept Trump’s offer. His Instagram message, however, has already sparked considerable interest about the possibility of the UFC president moving into the White House briefing room.
