An Offer From a Florida Golf Club
On Saturday, November 7, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social from his golf club in Florida that he was offering his friend Dana White, the UFC’s CEO, the vacant White House press secretary job. He called White “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” and wrote: “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!”
Trump also asked White to bring several UFC champions and former champions along as assistants, naming Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris. He said those fighters were needed “to defend us against the Lunatic Left.” The post landed while White was still in London, where he had just spoken at a post-fight news conference, and it was quickly picked up by American outlets covering the White House.
Dana White Keeps Everyone Guessing
At that same news conference, White said he was flying to Washington, D.C., “right now,” without saying whether he planned to accept or turn down the offer. He added: “We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that.”
CNN reported, citing a source, that White was not taking the job. White himself posted an image of Trump’s Truth Social message on Instagram alongside a photo of himself standing behind the White House briefing room lectern, captioned “On to the next chapter.” He did not issue any further confirmation or denial in the hours that followed, which kept speculation going through the weekend about whether the offer could become real. Some outlets reported over the weekend that White was “seriously considering” the offer, before Trump himself stepped in on Sunday to call the whole thing a joke.
Trump Walks It Back
On Sunday, November 8, 2026, speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump said he had been joking all along. “I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea. And there’s only one Dana,” he said.
He pointed back to the list of fighters he had named as assistants as evidence the offer was never serious: “I put all of the great fighters as his assistants, that they’re all going to come with him.” Trump called the whole episode “just a little fun,” while adding, “I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy.” He also acknowledged that some people had taken the joke at face value: “It was an example of something where I was kidding, and then people said, ‘You know, that’s actually a pretty good idea.'” Asked again about it, he repeated himself in similar terms: “So I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy.”
A Job That Keeps Turning Over
The press secretary post has been vacant since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August. Her successor, Katie Zacharia, lasted only five days in the role before leaving, making it one of the most unstable jobs in the administration in recent months. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the Dana White episode, leaving the role formally open heading into the new week. With Trump now calling his own offer a joke, the press secretary chair remains empty regardless of what is discussed at Monday’s meeting.
The Meeting Is Still on for Monday
Despite walking back the offer, Trump said White was still coming to Washington this Monday, November 9, for other reasons. “Dana was actually coming tomorrow for other reasons,” he said on Sunday, suggesting the meeting between the two men would go ahead as planned regardless of the press secretary joke. Both men had already referred to the Monday sit-down before Trump walked back his offer, which indicates it was arranged independently of it.
The episode is the latest sign of the public friendship between the American president and the UFC boss, who has regularly appeared alongside Trump at his fight cards in recent years. Whether or not the press secretary podium is ever on the agenda again, Monday’s meeting in Washington is set to be watched closely by both the political press and MMA media covering the UFC’s relationship with the White House.
The fighters Trump named in his post all share one thing in common: years spent picking their fight gear before every walk to the Octagon. Our MMA gear hub rounds up our brand comparisons and rankings to help you choose.
