Will UFC CEO and president Dana White be the next White House press secretary? No, of course not.
While President Donald Trump offered White the role on Saturday via social media, when questioned about the post on Sunday night, he made clear that it was a farcical entry and not a serious suggestion, despite it coming from his official account.
“I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea. And there’s only one Dana. He’s great, I don’t know, you wouldn’t mess around with him so much,” he said, per C-SPAN. “… Dana is actually coming [to Washington, D.C. on Monday]. Actually, for other reasons, I think he was going to be in Washington, so he’s going to come over and see me.”
Trump wrote on Saturday: “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.” He also added the names of current and former UFC athletes he hoped would join White as assistants, “even though some are not from our Country.”
White, 57, first played into speculation about the job offer with an AI-generated meme he posted on his Instagram stories shortly after the offer. It included a caption, “On to the next chapter.” He also confirmed during a Zuffa Boxing 12 press conference in London that he was set to travel to Washington, D.C. for a meeting with POTUS on Monday.
“I got a lot of jobs already,” joked White, who joined UFC in 2001 after Zuffa purchased the promotion and also serves as the face of Zuffa Boxing and Power Slap under the TKO Group Holdings banner. “… I’m sure we’ll have something to talk about after [the meeting].”
Trump had named Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison as options for assistant roles.
Katie Zacharia was dismissed after serving five days as press secretary in October. Karoline Leavitt, who held the role before Zacharia, stepped down in August to focus on family.
As a former fight promoter, casino magnate and long-time fan of combat sports, Trump helped make sports history in June when he hosted the UFC Freedom 250 event on the south lawn of the White House.
Trump hosted White’s debut event as UFC president at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in 2001, and the two formed a friendship. In 2018, Trump hosted White and UFC champion Colby Covington at the White House during his first presidential term and later became a regular guest at UFC events as a sitting president.
White also gave speeches in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention ahead of all three of his election cycles between 2016 and 2024.
