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Trump publicly asks UFC chief Dana White to be White House press secretary
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US President Donald Trump publicly asked UFC chief Dana White to become White House press secretary in a Truth Social post, writing 'Dana, please take the job!' and calling White 'a violent Fighter and Warrior.' The post came after Republicans lost their congressional majorities in the midterm elections, and the press secretary position has been vacant since mid-October when Katie Zacharia exited after a few days. Trump also urged White to bring several high-profile UFC fighters to help 'defend us against the Lunatic Left.' White responded with an Instagram photo of himself at the White House briefing room podium captioned 'On to the next chapter,' though it was unclear if it was tongue-in-cheek. White, a longtime Trump ally and friend, has a combative history with journalists, including a 2009 expletive-laden video and a 2020 video targeting reporters. The BBC sought comment from the White House and TKO Holdings.
Source report
By: Brandon Drenon and Bernd Debusmann, White House correspondent
President Trump and Dana White have long been friends
US President Donald Trump has asked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White to be White House press secretary, in a social media post.
"Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Dana, please take the job!"
The BBC has asked the White House and TKO Holdings, the parent company of UFC, for comment. The vacancy for White House press secretary has been open since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia exited after just a few days on the job.
Trump's post comes after his fellow Republicans were routed in the US midterm elections, losing their congressional majorities.
In Saturday afternoon's post, Trump called White "a violent Fighter and Warrior" and asked that he bring a number of high-profile UFC fighters with him on the job.
"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," Trump wrote, alongside photos of the six fighters.
Following Trump's post, White posted an Instagram photo of himself behind the podium in the White House press briefing room.
"On to the next chapter," White's post said, though it was unclear if the post was tongue-in-cheek.
A combative relationship with the press
Famously combative, White has at times clashed with journalists covering the sport during news conferences.
- In 2020, he released a video targeting reporters who had questioned the UFC's decision to hold fights early in the pandemic.
- In 2009, he released an expletive-laden video tirade using an anti-gay slur while rebutting a journalist's story about changes to backstage credentialing rules at UFC events.
A longtime ally and friend of Trump
White is a longtime ally — and friend — of Trump.
When White and his business partners bought the then-struggling UFC organisation for $2m in 2001, the sport was facing intense bipartisan backlash.
Just five years earlier, Republican Senator John McCain had famously labelled mixed martial arts "human cockfighting", sparking bans in 36 US states.
"None of the venues wanted [the UFC]," White told CBS, the BBC's US partner, in 2025. "They didn't believe in it. They didn't like it, and they were worried about the type of crowd that would show up for this type of event."
With mainstream arenas shutting them out, White credits Trump with saving the organisation by hosting two UFC events at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 2001.
This summer, the UFC held a cage match on the White House lawn.
White became a speaker for Trump's White House campaigns at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
Topics: United States | US politics
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Trump asks UFC CEO Dana White to be White House press secretary