US President Donald Trump has asked UFC chief executive Dana White to serve as White House press secretary.
“I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
“Dana, please take the job!“
The White House has been without a press secretary since October 16 when Katie Zacharia left the position after less than a week on the job.
After Mr Trump’s post, Dana White posted an image to his own social media, of him standing behind the podium of the White House press briefing room.
Dana White posted this AI-generated image to Instagram with the caption “On to the next chapter”. (Supplied: Dana White)
“On to the next chapter,” the post said.
After the post, CNN reported Mr White declined the offer, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Since then, Mr White has spoken at a press conference following a boxing event in London, where he said he would meet with Mr Trump at the White House on Monday.
Mr Trump called on the longtime fight promoter to bring along several UFC fighters as “assistants”, adding, “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left.”
Of the six current or former UFC titleholders Mr Trump named in his post to join Mr White, two were athletes from Russia’s Dagestan region, Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The online exchange comes a day after Mr Trump announced he was replacing his chief of staff Susie Wiles with his deputy Stephen Miller.
The White House is grappling with the Republican Party’s deep losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The historic wins by Democratic candidates, including in areas that Republicans had held for decades, led to the party losing control of both the House and the Senate.
Trump and White old allies
The Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive is a long-time ally of Donald Trump.
The pair first worked together in the early 2000s, when Mr Trump’s Taj Mahal casino hosted UFC events.
Their allyship has since grown stronger, as the UFC chief spoke at Republican National Conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
The president hosted UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in June as part of the United States’ 250 year celebrations, which also coincided with his own 80th birthday.
President Donald Trump and UFC president and CEO Dana White walk out during the UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. (Reuters: Amber Searls-Imagn Images)
A 600-tonne metal arch dubbed The Claw was built for the event, transforming the iconic DC lawn.
The broadcast commenced with Mr Trump and Mr White walking out of the White House, through the crowd.
“It was an amazing experience, this was a one-of-one,” Mr White said afterward.
The White House said the UFC covered the costs of the event, but federal lawsuits were filed in an attempt to halt it, arguing that a private sporting event on a public property required congressional approval.
A federal judge knocked back the lawsuit.
Source: www.abc.net.au
