Trump offers Dana White press secretary job, then says he was 'only kidding'

President Donald Trump offered UFC CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary on Saturday, November 7, in a post on Truth Social. On Sunday he told reporters he had been "only kidding," but said White "loves the idea." White hasn't said whether he wants the job, and he meets Trump in Washington on Monday.

The post and White's reply

Trump called White "a violent Fighter and Warrior" and wrote that he "has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States." He asked White to bring "assistants": Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and "Kayla Harris." "We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," he wrote, adding: "Dana, please take the job!"

Yahoo Sports read "Kayla Harris" as a misspelling of Kayla Harrison, the women's bantamweight champion. White was in London for Zuffa Boxing 12 when the post went up. According to Yahoo, he posted a screenshot on his Instagram story with a photo of himself at the briefing-room podium. The caption: "On to the next chapter."

At the post-fight press conference, White said he was flying to Washington and had a meeting with Trump on Monday. "I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that," he said, according to CBS News. He also said "I've got a lot of jobs already," but gave no yes or no.

CNN reported on Saturday, citing an unnamed source, that White would not take the job. ESPN and CNBC repeated the report without confirming it, and White hasn't confirmed it himself.

'Only kidding'

Trump spoke to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. "I will tell you, I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea," he said, according to Yahoo Sports. He called White "a very capable guy" and said White was already going to be in Washington for other reasons.

Trump pointed to the fighters on his list as the giveaway. "You see a lot of rough faces there," he said, Fox News reported. The White House and the UFC didn't respond to requests for comment from CNBC or CBS.

Why the job is open

The press secretary job has been empty since Katie Zacharia left in October after about five days, CBS reported. Karoline Leavitt held it from January 2025 until August 2026. Asked about a replacement on October 23, Trump said "We're in no rush," according to Fox. The post also came days after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the midterms, ESPN noted.

Trump and White go back to 2001, when the UFC held an event at Trump's Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. White introduced Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention. In June, the UFC staged UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn.

We'd be surprised if White took the job even if the offer were serious. As Cageside Press pointed out, he already runs the UFC, Zuffa Boxing, UFC BJJ and Power Slap. He also told Sports Business Journal in 2024 that he had "no personal political aspirations," as quoted by Fox.

The 'assistants'

Two of the fighters on the list have won title fights this year. Gaethje stopped Ilia Topuria at the end of the fourth round of a lightweight title fight on that White House card. He closed at +350, about a 21% chance. Makhachev defended his welterweight title with a decision over Ian Machado Garry in August, closing at -345.

Two more meet next Saturday, November 14. Harrison (19-1) defends her title against Nunes (23-5) in the co-main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden. Nunes retired after a decision win over Irene Aldana in June 2023, and this is her comeback fight, according to The Independent.

With the bookmakers' margin removed, the betting market has Harrison at about 63% and Nunes at 37%. The line opened at Harrison -210 and has moved toward Nunes, to around -190 / +160, per our fight page.