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President Donald Trump told reporters on November 8, 2026 that his social media offer of the White House press secretary position to Dana White was not serious. “I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea,” Trump said according to accounts from Newsweek. He pointed to the list of UFC fighters he had named as proposed assistants as the giveaway that the post was intended as a joke, while describing White as a very capable guy who still planned to visit him at the White House the next day for other reasons.
Trump had written on Truth Social the day before that he was pleased to announce the Great Dana White, a violent fighter and warrior, had been offered the job of press secretary of the United States. The post requested that White bring several prominent mixed martial arts figures with him as assistants even though some are not from the country, naming Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison. “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” the president added in the message that concluded with a direct plea for White to take the job, as reported across multiple outlets including CBS News.
White, a longtime ally of the president who has spoken at Republican National Conventions and staged a UFC event on the White House South Lawn in June 2026 to mark Trump’s 80th birthday, responded to the initial announcement by sharing an image of himself at the White House briefing room podium. He captioned the post “On to the next chapter” and told reporters in London that he would fly to Washington to meet with Trump on Monday, according to coverage in The Guardian. White did not immediately clarify whether he viewed the offer as serious at the time.
The press secretary position had been vacant since October 2026 after Katie Zacharia’s tenure lasted only five days before she was dismissed following a widely criticized briefing, a development noted in reports from CNN and NBC News. Zacharia had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who held the role from January 2025 until August 2025 before stepping down to join Fox News. The rapid turnover comes as the administration undergoes broader staffing changes in the wake of the recent midterm elections.
Trump and White have maintained a close relationship for more than two decades that includes business dealings and mutual political support, with White organizing combat sports events at Trump properties in the past. The UFC executive has described their interactions as largely avoiding direct political discussion in a previous interview, according to CBS News. Despite the clarification that the job offer was in jest, Trump maintained on November 8 that White still intended to visit the White House the next day although the meeting would focus on matters other than the press secretary role.
The episode drew significant attention on social media and from news organizations, with some interpreting the initial post as another example of the president’s unconventional communication style. Trump later told reporters that some people had responded to the announcement by saying it was actually a pretty good idea, without specifying who made such comments. White’s X account promoted upcoming UFC fights shortly after the original Truth Social post, indicating his focus remained on his role at the organization for the time being.
