Inside the high-stakes role of White House press secretary
Kayleigh McEnany hosts a discussion on the pressure of serving as White House press secretary with Chad Gilmartin, Harrison Fields and Jalen Drummond. President Donald Trump states he is in no hurry to name a successor. The panel shares insider details about handling the press briefings.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he had offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary job, proposing a team of mixed martial arts stars to help defend his administration against political opponents.
The Nov. 7 Truth Social post paired the proposed offer with a roster of fighters and an image collage. It did not establish that White had accepted the position, and it was not immediately clear whether Trump intended the proposal seriously.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote.
DANA WHITE SAYS ‘I DON’T GIVE A S—‘ IF TRUMP FRIENDSHIP COSTS HIM BUSINESS, 250TH EVENT WAS TRUMP’S IDEA
The president named Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes as prospective assistants, while acknowledging that some were not American. He also listed “Kayla Harris,” apparently referring to UFC fighter and two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
“Dana, please take the job!” Trump added.
President Donald Trump and UFC President and CEO Dana White are introduced during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The post comes amid turnover in the White House’s senior ranks and weeks after the departure of Trump’s most recent press secretary.
Fox News Digital reported Oct. 16 that Katie Zacharia was leaving the position following her debut. Trump had announced her selection Oct. 9 to succeed Karoline Leavitt, who left in August. ABC News reported that Zacharia began work Oct. 12 and was transitioning out of the role that Friday.
Asked Oct. 23 about finding another press secretary, Trump told reporters, “No, nothing much. We’re in no rush.”
Separately, the White House announced Friday that Stephen Miller would succeed Susie Wiles as chief of staff. That announcement confirmed a personnel change; Trump’s Saturday appeal to White left the proposed press secretary arrangement unresolved.
UFC’S DANA WHITE SAYS ‘YOU’D BE SHOCKED’ TO LEARN WHO ACTUALLY SUPPORTS TRUMP IN THE SHADOWS
U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC President and CEO Dana White walk out of the White House onto the South Lawn for the UFC Freedom 250 fight on June 14, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White and Trump have a relationship stretching back decades, rooted partly in Trump’s support for UFC when the promotion was working to establish itself.
Trump hosted UFC events in Atlantic City as early as 2001, according to Sports Business Journal. White later became a prominent supporter of Trump’s presidential campaigns and spoke during his 2024 election-night victory celebration.
White also introduced Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, describing their long friendship and praising Trump’s resilience.
Their relationship carried into Trump’s second term. The president attended UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn on June 14, 2026. Official White House photographs documented Trump and White walking through the building together to attend the event.
White has previously downplayed the prospect of entering politics himself.
President Donald J. Trump and UFC President Dana White watch the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“I have no personal political aspirations,” he told Sports Business Journal in November 2024 when asked about a potential role in Trump’s incoming administration.
That statement preceded Saturday’s post by two years and does not establish White’s response to the latest proposal.
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OutKick has reached out to the White House and UFC for comment.