"Let's Fight the 'Crazy Left'..." Trump Offers UFC CEO Dana White White House Press Secretary Job

Asked White to Bring Six UFC Stars, Including Khabib, onto His Staff
White Set to Meet Trump at the White House; Acceptance Still Unclear

U.S. President Donald Trump offered UFC CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary. He also asked White to bring UFC fighters onto his staff.

On the 7th (local time), President Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform he founded, “I offered the great Dana White the job of White House press secretary.” He described White as a “violent fighter and warrior,” adding, “He would be a press secretary unlike any other.”

President Trump also asked White to bring six UFC fighters onto his staff. The list included Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both from Dagestan, Russia; Americans Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Kayla Harrison; and Amanda Nunes, who was born in Brazil and became a U.S. citizen. President Trump said they should defend America against the “crazy left.”

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and UFC CEO Dana White pictured together in the Oval Office at the White House last June. Yonhap News.

White, who was attending a boxing event in London at the time, was asked about President Trump’s offer at a press conference. He said, “I’m heading to Washington and will meet the president at the White House on Monday.” However, he did not clearly say whether he would accept the offer. He also noted that he already had a lot of responsibilities in the combat sports industry.

White became UFC president in 2001 and helped grow the organization into a global mixed martial arts brand. At the time, the UFC was struggling with poor ticket sales and regulatory issues. White proposed that his high school friends, brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, buy the UFC, and they acquired the organization for $2 million. White went on to lead fighter recruitment, bout planning and marketing. The UFC was sold for about $4 billion in 2016, and White remained in the executive team. In 2023, he became UFC CEO under its parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

President Trump and White’s relationship dates back to the early 2000s, when UFC fights at a casino owned by President Trump brought the two together. White publicly endorsed President Trump during the 2016 presidential election. He also delivered a speech endorsing him at the 2024 Republican National Convention. In June, White held a UFC event on the White House lawn to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and President Trump’s 80th birthday.

The offer came as Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections and personnel changes continued within the White House. The White House press secretary position had been vacant since Caroline Leavitt stepped down in late August, and her appointed successor, Katie Zacharia, also left the post just five days after taking office in October. The Associated Press reported that White was scheduled to meet President Trump, but neither the White House nor the UFC issued an official statement on the specifics of the offer.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.