Trump offers UFC chief Dana White the White House press secretary role

Trump made the proposal in a social media post, portraying White as a fighter and warrior and urging him to accept the job. The announcement presented the UFC executive as a potential chief spokesperson for the administration, but it did not establish that he had accepted the position.

White is identified in the reporting as the UFC’s president and CEO, making the proposed appointment an unusual move from the leadership of a major combat-sports organization into the White House communications operation. The available accounts do not say whether he would leave the UFC or retain his role there if he accepted.

The offer followed the departure of Katie Zacharia after a short tenure, according to the reporting. The accounts differ on whether she left, was ousted or was dismissed, but agree that the press secretary position became vacant after her brief time in the role.

The chronology is more specific in two attributed accounts. PBS NewsHour’s supplied Associated Press report says Zacharia left after five days, while the South China Morning Post says she left after less than a week and that the position had been vacant since October 16. Those descriptions provide differing detail without resolving the precise circumstances of her departure.

Trump’s proposal also included an unusual staffing request. PBS NewsHour’s account says he asked White to bring several UFC fighters as assistants. Handelsblatt reported a more specific version, saying Trump wanted six UFC titleholders to accompany White, but that number and description are not independently corroborated in the other supplied reports.

The announcement was not accompanied by a confirmed appointment. The reports establish that Trump made the offer, while they do not establish whether it was a firm final decision or whether White agreed to take the post. CBS Sports separately reported that White was expected to meet Trump on Monday in connection with the proposal.

For now, the development leaves two practical questions open: whether White will become the administration’s press secretary and what would happen to his leadership of the UFC if he did. The documented event is Trump’s public recruitment effort, not a confirmed change in either White’s government or sports position.