UFC Boss Dana White to Meet Trump Monday on Press Secretary Role
White plans to fly to Washington after a boxing event in London to discuss an offer from the president, who asked the fight promoter to bring fighters as assistants.
By Andrew Kovalenko ·
Ultimate Fighting Championship chief Dana White will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss an offer to serve as the administration's press secretary. White confirmed the meeting on Saturday while attending a boxing event in London. He said he would fly to Washington immediately after the event to speak with the president.
Trump announced the offer on Saturday from his golf club in Florida. The president posted on social media that he offered the job to what he called "the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior." Trump urged White to accept the position, stating, "Dana, please take the job!"
The president added a specific condition to the offer. He requested that White bring several UFC fighters to the White House to serve as "assistants." Trump described the need for these individuals to help "defend us against the Lunatic Left." He predicted that White would be a "Press Secretary like none other."
White responded to the news during a news conference in London. When asked how he would manage the new role alongside his existing duties in the fight business, White appeared briefly confused. He replied, "Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already." He did not detail previous conversations with Trump but noted, "I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that."
Before the press conference, White shared an image of Trump's post on Instagram. The post included a photo of White standing behind the podium in the White House press briefing room. White captioned the image with the words "On to the next chapter." Neither the White House nor a UFC spokesperson responded to messages regarding the announcement on Saturday.
White did not explicitly state whether he would accept the role. During the same news conference, he discussed expanding Zuffa Boxing, an organization he runs with Saudi Arabian backers. He expressed ambition to hold more events for the boxing group around the world.
The announcement comes as the White House undergoes a major leadership transition. The president's party lost control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections held on Tuesday. Democratic candidates won historic victories in districts that Republicans had held for decades.
Trump replaced longtime adviser Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller as chief of staff on Friday. Miller is known for architecting the administration's hard-line immigration policies. The change in top leadership follows a brief tenure by Katie Zacharia, who served as press secretary for five days before leaving the job.
The press secretary position has been vacant since Karoline Leavitt departed at the end of August. Trump has been without a primary spokesperson during this period. The president and White are close friends who have attended several UFC events together since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Trump hosted White and the sport on the White House South Lawn in June. The event celebrated the country's 250th year of independence and the president's 80th birthday. A wire-mesh Octagon was built near the executive mansion under a structure called "The Claw." White later described the experience as "amazing" and "one-of-one." White also spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
