Donald Trump has offered the position of White House press secretary to Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). White confirmed on Saturday that he will meet with the president at the White House on Monday to discuss the offer.
Trump announced the proposal on his social media platform, Truth Social, earlier on Saturday. He wrote, “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” and added, “Dana, please take the job!” The president also requested that White bring assistants with him to the role, noting that “some are not from our Country.”
UFC Champions Listed for White House Team
In the same post, Trump shared pictures of six current and former UFC title holders, suggesting they join White in the administration. The list includes Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov from Russia’s Dagestan region, Americans Justin Gaethje and Daniel Cormier, and Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian who became a US citizen last year. Trump also referenced “Kayla Harris,” which is likely a reference to Kayla Harrison.
Trump wrote that these individuals are needed to “defend us against the Lunatic Left.” The White House press secretary role has been vacant since Katie Zacharia’s tenure ended last month after just five days. Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down from the position at the end of August.
Longstanding Relationship Between White and Trump
White and Trump have a history dating back to the early 2000s. Their relationship grew closer after the UFC chief publicly backed Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. In recent years, Trump has attended several UFC events, and in June, the White House hosted a night of UFC fights as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
The White House press office already includes a former UFC spokesperson. Director of Communications Steven Cheung worked for White’s organization from 2013 to 2016. Cheung shared Trump’s message on X, writing, “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite! It’ll just be like old times!”
Source: Al Jazeera
