President Donald Trump has offered Dana White, the UFC’s chief executive, the job of White House press secretary. The offer came in a Truth Social post on Saturday, November 7, 2026, naming several UFC fighters Trump wants White to bring along if he takes the role. White has confirmed a trip to Washington without saying whether he will accept.
Trump’s Truth Social Offer
President Trump wrote that White has been offered the job of press secretary of the United States. His post read, “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” and continued, “Dana, please take the job!” Trump acknowledged in the same post that some of the people he named are not American citizens. The offer lands at a difficult political moment for Trump, coming after Democrats won the midterm elections and after several departures from his communications team, including current press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Katie Zacharia.
Fighters Named in the Post
Trump listed Islam Makhachev, the reigning UFC welterweight champion who moved up from lightweight and won the 170-pound title in November 2025 against Jack Della Maddalena, along with Khabib Nurmagomedov, the retired former undefeated lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, the retired two-division champion turned broadcaster, Amanda Nunes, the retired two-division champion, and a “Kayla Harris,” a name several outlets say refers to Kayla Harrison, the UFC bantamweight champion. None of the fighters named had publicly commented as of this writing.
White Confirms the Trip, Stays Noncommittal
Dana White shared Trump’s post on his Instagram Story, along with a photo of himself behind the White House press room podium captioned “On to the next chapter.” Speaking to reporters in London after the Zuffa Boxing 12 card at Copper Box Arena, White confirmed he was flying to Washington, D.C., but stopped short of saying he would take the job. “I’ve got a lot of jobs already,” White said, adding, “We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that.” He did not say whether he is personally tempted by the offer, or whether any of the named fighters have agreed to join him in Washington.
A Monday Meeting and Conflicting Reports
White is scheduled to meet with Trump on Monday, November 9, in Washington, D.C. Before White’s own comments, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that White had already turned down the offer, a claim White has neither confirmed nor denied publicly. Monday’s meeting should settle whether White keeps his full role running the promotion or hands off part of it to join the administration. If he accepts, White would become the third person associated with the press secretary job within roughly a year, following Leavitt and Zacharia, an unusual move for a sports and entertainment executive with no prior government experience.
A Long-Standing Alliance
White and Trump have been publicly close for years, and White has repeatedly said he has no interest in a direct role in politics. The two have already worked together on one project: a UFC fight card held on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2026, branded UFC Freedom 250 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Broadcast exclusively on Paramount+, the card featured Ilia Topuria against Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title and Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. The event’s estimated 60 million dollar price tag drew criticism, with some historians comparing it to gladiatorial games in ancient Rome. Trump separately invested between 15,001 and 50,000 dollars in TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s publicly traded parent company, back in March 2026.
Kayla Harrison, among the names in Trump’s post, is set to defend her bantamweight title at UFC 334 in New York, on a card that also features Ciryl Gane defending his heavyweight title against Josh Hokit. Any departure by White, even a partial one, would land just days ahead of one of the promotion’s biggest events of the year, at a time when the UFC’s American audience is already watching closely for roster and title news.
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