UFC CEO Dana White says he will meet with President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss Trump’s public offer to make him White House press secretary.
White addressed the offer Saturday following a Zuffa Boxing event in London, saying he planned to fly to Washington after the news conference.
“I got a lot of jobs already,” White said with a laugh. “We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure we’ll have more to talk about after that.”
Trump floated the idea in a Truth Social post Saturday, framing it as a response to hostile media coverage of his administration.
“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!” Trump wrote.
The president also suggested bringing in several current and former UFC fighters as assistants, naming Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes, among others.
White fed the speculation himself, posting an image to Instagram showing him standing behind the White House briefing room podium with the caption, “On to the next chapter.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung joined in, reposting Trump’s message with his own endorsement: “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!”
A communications shop in flux
The offer lands amid turbulence in Trump’s press operation. Karoline Leavitt stepped down as press secretary in August, citing a desire to spend more time with her family. Her replacement, Katie Zacharia, lasted just five days in October before departing.
Trump also announced Friday that Stephen Miller would take over as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. The shake-up follows Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
A long political partnership
White’s relationship with Trump dates back to 2001, when Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City hosted a UFC event as the promotion was working to establish itself.
White went on to become a vocal supporter of Trump’s presidential campaigns, speaking at the Republican National Conventions in 2016 and 2020 and introducing Trump at the 2024 convention. In June, the UFC staged its Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, coinciding with Trump’s 80th birthday.
Trump has also credited White with connecting him to younger online personalities who helped broaden his reach beyond traditional political media. “He introduced me to people I never heard of, young kids,” Trump said earlier this year.
Any shift in the administration’s communications strategy comes as Trump faces a tougher political landscape ahead. Democrats, who take control of Congress next year, have pledged investigations into the administration’s policies, including immigration enforcement. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has flagged Stephen Miller’s role in those policies as a likely focus of oversight efforts.
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