Please take the job: Trump asks UFC boss Dana White to become White House press secretary

A job offer on social media

Trump’s post asked Dana White, head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, to take the White House press secretary role. He also called White “a violent Fighter and Warrior” and urged him to bring several prominent UFC fighters along.

The vacancy has been open since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia left after only a few days in the position. The BBC requested comment from the White House and TKO Holdings, UFC’s parent company. No response was included in the report.

White’s record with journalists

White has sometimes argued with journalists covering UFC at news conferences. In 2009, he posted an expletive-filled video responding to a journalist’s report about changes to backstage credentials at UFC events.

In that video, White used an anti-gay slur. The report did not say whether Trump’s request had led to any formal offer or response from White.

UFC’s difficult early years

White and his business partners bought the struggling UFC organisation for $2m in 2001, when the sport faced strong opposition from both major political parties. White told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, in 2025 that venues had been unwilling to host UFC events. He said they doubted the sport and worried about the audience it might attract.