President Donald Trump clarified on Sunday that his social media offer to make UFC CEO Dana White the next White House press secretary was a joke, though he acknowledged White "loves the idea." Trump's initial Saturday post on his official account announced that "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States," and listed several UFC athletes as potential assistants.
White, 57, played along with an AI-generated meme on Instagram captioned "On to the next chapter," and confirmed during a Zuffa Boxing 12 press conference in London that he would travel to Washington, D.C., for a meeting with the president on Monday. "I got a lot of jobs already," White joked, referencing his roles with UFC, Zuffa Boxing, and Power Slap under TKO Group Holdings.
The lighthearted exchange underscores a long-standing friendship: Trump hosted White's first UFC event at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in 2001, and the two have appeared together at multiple White House and UFC events. In June, Trump hosted the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn. White has also spoken in support of Trump at three Republican National Conventions.
The press secretary position has seen recent turnover: Katie Zacharia was dismissed after five days in October, and Karoline Leavitt stepped down in August. Trump's suggested assistant press secretaries included Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harrison.
