Trump offers Dana White White House press secretary role as UFC future hangs in balance

President Donald Trump has publicly offered UFC CEO Dana White the role of White House press secretary, posting the offer on Truth Social on Saturday and naming a string of MMA fighters he would like to see serve as assistants.

“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. “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!”

White, who has long maintained he had no interest in entering politics, responded with an Instagram post showing him inside the Oval Office alongside the caption “on to the next chapter.” The post stopped short of a formal acceptance, and no official announcement has followed.

Trump is seeking a replacement press secretary after several people have cycled through the role over the past year, including Karoline Leavitt and Katie Zacharia. Whether White would be required to relinquish his position as UFC CEO in order to take up the role remains unclear.

The offer comes as Trump navigates significant political headwinds. Following a difficult election cycle for the Republican Party, the Democratic Party is set to take full control of both the House and the Senate as of January 1, after a series of Republican incumbents were unseated.

White has been a prominent and vocal supporter of Trump, appearing at campaign events and speaking at the Republican National Convention. His potential move into a formal government role would represent one of the most high-profile crossovers between professional sport and Washington politics in recent memory, and would raise immediate questions about the leadership structure of the UFC.