Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday evening that he was “only kidding” about appointing UFC CEO Dana White as the next White House Press Secretary. The clarification comes one day after Trump publicly offered the position to White via Truth Social, sparking intense speculation about the future of the administration’s communications team.
The offer, posted on Saturday, November 7, included a specific request for White to bring six professional UFC fighters to serve as press assistants. Trump named Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris as the intended roster to “defend against” the media.
Despite Trump’s Sunday claim that the offer was a joke, the proposal initially appeared to be part of a broader administrative shake-up. The White House press office has been vacant since October 16, when Katie Zacharia was removed from the role after just five days. Zacharia’s brief tenure established a record as the shortest-serving Press Secretary in U.S. history.
The timeline of the offer and retraction suggests a shift in the nature of the discussions between the two long-time allies. On Saturday night, while at an event in London, White told reporters he was flying to Washington D.C. specifically to meet regarding the job offer. However, CNN reported that White officially declined the position before Trump issued his Sunday evening retraction.
Before claiming he was “kidding,” Trump shared a cartoon video on social media depicting Dana White and the group of UFC fighters physically confronting members of the press corps.
White remains the CEO of the UFC. White has not publicly commented on the “kidding” clarification but previously indicated on social media that he was looking forward to a “next chapter.”
The vacancy in the press office persists. Reporting suggests that the search for a permanent replacement for Zacharia remains active, though no official shortlist has been released.
As of November 2026, White remains in his executive role at the UFC.
