Trump Offers White House Press Secretary Job to UFC Chief Dana White
Donald Trump said he offered UFC chief Dana White the vacant White House press secretary job, adding another potential personnel change during a broader post-midterm staff shake-up.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday, November 7, that he had offered UFC chief Dana White the vacant White House press secretary job, proposing an unconventional choice for the administration’s chief public spokesperson during a broader staff shake-up after the midterm elections.
Trump announced the offer in a Truth Social post. The Associated Press and Reuters separately reported the statement. The White House did not immediately provide a separate confirmation or details about whether the offer was formal, according to the AP report carried by PBS News. White had not publicly accepted the position when Trump made the announcement.
Trump publicly urges White to accept
Trump described White as a fighter and asked him to take the job. He also suggested that White bring several UFC fighters as assistants, presenting the proposal in the combative language he frequently uses about political opponents. Those remarks were part of Trump’s post; they were not a description of an announced White House staffing structure.
White responded by sharing Trump’s post on Instagram along with an image of himself behind the White House briefing-room podium and the phrase “On to the next chapter,” the AP reported. That response signaled interest but did not amount to a public acceptance. Later reports on Sunday said White planned to meet Trump on Monday to discuss the offer, leaving the outcome unresolved at the time of publication.
A vacant job amid wider White House changes
The press secretary position has been open since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August. Trump selected Katie Zacharia for the role in October, but she departed after five days and one briefing. TrumpInsight reported at the time that Trump had urged Zacharia to reconsider leaving, underscoring the administration’s difficulty filling one of its most visible communications posts.
The Dana White announcement came one day after Trump said Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. Together, the changes point to a rapid reworking of the president’s senior team after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections. A press secretary would become a central figure in daily disputes over administration policy and the investigations expected under the incoming Congress.
White’s long relationship with Trump
White has known Trump for years and has been a prominent political supporter. He spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and Trump has attended UFC events with him. White also joined Trump at the White House for a UFC event on the South Lawn in June 2026, according to the AP.
That relationship gives White direct access to the president, but it does not substitute for an appointment. The press secretary represents the administration at televised briefings, coordinates public messaging and answers questions across domestic and foreign policy. White is best known for leading a combat-sports company rather than for government communications work.
What is confirmed and what remains open
The confirmed development is Trump’s public statement that he offered White the job. The White House had not released an appointment notice, start date or staffing plan in the reporting reviewed for this article. White’s social-media response and reported plan to meet Trump indicate that discussions were continuing, but they do not establish that he agreed to serve.
The next material development will be a clear decision from White or a formal White House announcement. Until then, the administration remains without a confirmed press secretary, and Trump’s proposal should be treated as an offer rather than a completed appointment.
Sources and image credit
- Associated Press via PBS News — Trump says he asked Dana White to be press secretary
- Reuters — Trump says he wants UFC chief Dana White for White House press secretary
- Associated Press update — White confirms talks over the press secretary job
- Image — President Donald Trump and Dana White, Wikimedia Commons