Trump Says He Offered UFC Chief Dana White the White House Press Secretary Job After Midterm Losses

What happened

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has offered the job of White House press secretary to UFC CEO Dana White, according to the Associated Press, as published by PBS NewsHour. Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social while at his golf club in Florida. Nobody in the White House immediately confirmed the offer, the AP reported.

CBS News reported that it was unclear at the time of publication whether White had accepted. CBS also noted that reporting from at least one media outlet suggested the post may have been made tongue-in-cheek.

The post and the response

What Trump wrote

In the post, Trump described his friend as "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior," according to the AP. CBS News reported that Trump asked White to bring along several fighters as assistants, naming Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris.

"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," Trump wrote. He closed with, "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"

How White responded

White was in London on Saturday for a boxing event, the AP reported. He shared an image of Trump's post on Instagram along with an image of himself behind the podium in the White House press briefing room, captioned "On to the next chapter." A UFC spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Silence from the White House

The White House did not respond Saturday to messages about the post, according to the AP. CBS News said it had reached out to both the White House and UFC for comment.

Why the job is open

Karoline Leavitt left the press secretary post in August, saying she wanted to spend more time with her young family, CBS News reported. The AP said she left at the end of that month.

Trump then tried conservative commentator Katie Zacharia in the role. CBS News reported she was removed on Oct. 16 after just five days. The AP described her sole appearance before reporters as one in which she seemed uncomfortable, and said Trump remains without a chief spokesperson.

A week of upheaval at the White House

New chief of staff

The offer came one day after Trump announced he was replacing Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller as chief of staff, the AP reported. The AP described Wiles as having been seen as something of a tempering force on the president's impulses, and Miller as the architect of the administration's hard-line immigration policies.

Midterm losses

The changes follow Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate, according to both outlets. The AP described the Democratic wins as historic, including in areas Republicans had held for decades. Readers can find Nevada results in our Nevada midterm takeaways.

Trump and White's history

Trump and White are close friends, and Trump has attended several UFC events with him since returning to the White House in January 2025, the AP reported. White also spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and attended Trump's inauguration, according to the two outlets.

The White House hosted a UFC event on the South Lawn this year to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, which coincided with Trump's 80th birthday. CBS News reported that White runs a global league valued at more than $15 billion. For more national coverage, visit our Nation section.

What to watch next

• Whether Dana White formally accepts the press secretary offer, which CBS News said was unclear.
• Whether the White House confirms the offer, after it did not respond to questions Saturday.
• Who will fill the press secretary post, which remains without a chief spokesperson, according to the AP.
• Stephen Miller's move into the chief of staff role announced Friday.