White House Offer: Dana White to Meet President on Press Secretary Role
The UFC chief executive plans to discuss Donald Trump's public recruitment request during a Monday meeting at the White House.
By Diego Mendoza ·
Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, said on Saturday that he will meet with President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss an offer to serve as the White House press secretary. White made the announcement at a news conference in London following a boxing match. He confirmed that the proposed role would be the primary agenda item for their upcoming conversation.
Trump first made the proposal public earlier on Saturday via a post on Truth Social. The president urged the UFC executive to accept the position, writing, “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” and added, “Dana, please take the job!” The president’s message extended beyond a simple job offer. He asked White to bring his assistants to the White House, noting that some of them are not US citizens. Trump also included photographs and named six current and former UFC title holders to accompany White.
The list of requested attendees included Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both from the Dagestan region of Russia. The group also featured Americans Justin Gaethje and Daniel Cormier. Trump listed “Kayla Harris,” a reference to former Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison, and Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian who became a US citizen in 2025. Trump explained the gathering by writing, “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left.”
The press secretary role has been vacant since October. Katie Zacharia served in the position for only five days before her tenure ended. She had replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the role at the end of August. White and Trump have known each other since the early 2000s. Their relationship strengthened after White publicly supported Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. The president has attended multiple UFC events in recent years.
A connection between the two organizations was evident in June when the White House hosted an evening of UFC fights. The event was part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of US independence. Steven Cheung, the current White House Communications Director, also has a background in the sport. He worked for the UFC from 2013 to 2016. After seeing Trump’s message, Cheung shared it on X and encouraged White to accept the job, writing, “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite! It’ll just be like old times!”
