WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had offered the job of White House press secretary to his friend Dana White, the head of the UFC. The unusual proposal, consistent with Trump’s unconventional approach to staffing, was not immediately confirmed by anyone in the White House.
Trump, speaking from his Florida golf club, announced on social media that he had offered the position to “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” to serve as the Republican president’s chief spokesperson.
Trump said he asked White to bring several UFC fighters with him as “assistants,” writing, “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!”
The White House did not respond Saturday to messages seeking clarification about the Truth Social post.
White was in London on Saturday for a boxing event. A UFC spokesperson also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The UFC chief reposted an image of Trump’s message on Instagram, along with a photo of himself standing behind the podium in the White House briefing room. The image carried the words, “On to the next chapter.”
Trump’s announcement came as his administration faces a major transition and the Republican Party grapples with significant losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Historic Democratic victories, including in areas Republicans had controlled for decades, left the GOP without control of either chamber of Congress.
On Friday, Trump said he was replacing longtime adviser Susie Wiles, who had been viewed as a moderating influence on the president, with aide Stephen Miller as his next chief of staff. Miller is known as the architect of the administration’s hard-line immigration agenda and is considered one of Trump’s most committed allies.
The administration’s leadership shake-up followed a brief and turbulent experiment with Katie Zacharia as press secretary. Zacharia appeared uncomfortable during her only briefing with reporters and left the position after five days.
The position had been vacant since Karoline Leavitt departed at the end of August, leaving Trump without a permanent chief spokesperson.
Trump and White are longtime friends, and the president has attended several UFC events with him since returning to the White House in January 2025.
In June, Trump brought White and the sport to the White House South Lawn for a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary of independence and the president’s 80th birthday. Organizers built a wire-mesh Octagon near the executive mansion beneath “The Claw,” a spaceship-like metal arch equipped with lights, sound equipment and large screens.
“It was an amazing experience, this was a one-of-one,” White said afterward.
White has also addressed the Republican National Convention in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
___
Associated Press writers Daniel Gelston in Philadelphia and Jesse Bedayn in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
