Dana White has turned down Trump’s offer to become White House press secretary, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN on Saturday.
Trump announced the offer himself on Truth Social Saturday, and he asked for more than White. He wanted the UFC CEO to bring a crew of fighters with him as assistants: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison, whose name Trump wrote as “Kayla Harris.”
“I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States,” Trump wrote. He said the group was needed “to defend us against the lunatic left” and closed with a direct plea: “Dana, please take the job!”
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Within hours, CNN reported that White had declined. The report came from a source rather than from White himself, and the UFC boss has not been quoted on the decision.
The press secretary is the White House’s main spokesperson, the person who stands at the podium in the briefing room and answers reporters’ questions on behalf of the administration. It is one of the most visible jobs in government, and right now nobody has it.
Karoline Leavitt held the role for about a year and a half before leaving in August, saying she wanted more time with her young family. She has since joined Fox News as a contributor. Her replacement, Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator and former communications adviser for Trump Media, started in October and lasted five days. Her first briefing drew heavy criticism, along with questions about how she described her legal career, and Trump fired her before she ever held a second one. That made her stint the shortest in the history of the job.
Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in Tuesday’s midterms and have pledged to investigate the Trump administration, which means the next press secretary will be answering for the White House through those probes.
Dana White has been one of Trump’s most visible supporters for years. He spoke at the last three Republican National Conventions and helped Republicans reach young male voters, a group that played a major role in Trump’s 2024 win. Trump has attended several UFC events, including while in office, and this summer he hosted a UFC fight on the White House lawn as part of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
That push for young men did not hold. According to CNN, the group shifted toward Democrats in Tuesday’s midterms, helping the party take both chambers of Congress. Some of the personalities who introduced Trump to new audiences in 2024, including podcaster Joe Rogan, have also grown more critical of him.
White, 57, has run the UFC since 2001. Trump is still looking for his next press secretary.
