Trump Offers UFC Chief Dana White Press Secretary Role

The Al Jazeera Newsfeed item asks whether UFC chief Dana White could become the next White House press secretary. It reports that White says he will meet US President Donald Trump after Trump urged him to take the press secretary role. The item also notes a discussion on social media: some users say the administration may have meant to nominate a different person with the same name—a more experienced Black woman—rather than the UFC executive. The brief text does not identify that woman, give details about the proposed meeting, or confirm that any nomination has been made. It therefore presents the possibility as a question, not as a settled appointment. Its focus is the reported suggestion by Trump, White’s stated plan to meet him, and the online reaction about a possible same-name mix-up. The article provides no further background on the press secretary position or the people involved, and it does not say whether White has accepted the role. The headline and short description frame the story as a developing possibility while distinguishing White’s reported response from social media users’ speculation about whom the administration intended to nominate.

UFC chief executive Dana White says he plans to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss Trump’s offer to make him White House press secretary. White disclosed the planned meeting at a news conference after a boxing event in London on Saturday. Trump announced the offer on Truth Social, saying White would be a press secretary “like none other” and urging him to take the job. Trump also suggested White bring assistants, including people who are not US citizens, and named six current or former UFC champions: Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, from Russia’s Dagestan region; Americans Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Kayla Harrison; and Brazilian-born Amanda Nunes, who became a US citizen last year. Trump said they were needed to defend the country against what he called the “Lunatic Left.” The press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia’s tenure ended last month after five days. Zacharia had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left the role at the end of August. White and Trump first worked together in the early 2000s, and their relationship grew closer after White publicly supported Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has attended several UFC events in recent years, and the White House hosted UFC fights in June as part of events marking the 250th anniversary of US independence. The article also notes that White’s former organisation is already represented in the White House press operation: Communications Director Steven Cheung worked for the UFC from 2013 to 2016. Cheung shared Trump’s post on X and enthusiastically encouraged White to accept the offer.

President Donald Trump offered UFC president and CEO Dana White the job of “Press Secretary of the United States,” announcing the offer in a Truth Social post on Saturday. Trump described White as a “violent Fighter and Warrior,” urged him to accept, and said the country needed people to defend it against what he called the “Lunatic Left.” White posted an Instagram story showing himself behind the White House press secretary’s lectern with the caption “On to the next chapter,” but the post did not establish whether he was accepting the offer or joking. CNN, citing a source, reported that White had declined. The article notes that the official title for the president’s spokesperson is White House press secretary. Trump had also recently floated rapper Nicki Minaj as a possible press secretary in an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson. His offer to White reportedly extended to White’s assistants, including current and former UFC fighters from Brazil and Russia. The offer came amid turnover and political changes in the administration. Katie Zacharia left the press secretary position five days after beginning as a replacement for Karoline Leavitt. Trump said he had suggested Zacharia quit after her first briefing, criticizing her for taking questions from only three conservative outlets. The article also reports that deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller was set to become chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, following Democrats’ midterm-election victories and their gains of control in both chambers of Congress. White and Trump have been friends for years. White supported Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and credited him with recognizing the UFC’s potential. In June, Trump hosted a UFC event, UFC Freedom 250, on the White House South Lawn for his 80th birthday. The White House and UFC had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

France 24 reports that US President Donald Trump reportedly offered Dana White, the longtime head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a personal friend, the position of White House press secretary. The reported offer came after a series of combative press briefings between the Trump administration and journalists. Trump described White as a “violent fighter and warrior,” language that links White’s background in combat sports to the confrontational atmosphere surrounding the briefings. According to US media reports cited in the article, White has already declined the role. The piece presents the proposal as an unusual and potentially provocative staffing choice, while also questioning whether it should be taken seriously or understood as a joke. Its headline and closing question—whether the offer was a “punchy choice” or “simply a punchline”—use boxing and fighting imagery to frame the story with a playful edge. The segment is presented as a closer look by France 24’s Jack Pownall, rather than as a detailed account of the offer’s terms or White’s reasons for turning it down. The report’s central themes are the relationship between political communication and combat-sports culture, Trump’s personal connection with White, and the contentious exchanges between the administration and the press. It does not provide further information about how the offer was made, whether other candidates were considered, or whether White commented directly. The article therefore focuses chiefly on the surprising reported proposal and its symbolic or comic implications, not on a confirmed appointment or a change in the White House press operation.