Trump offers UFC chief Dana White the White House press secretary job in a Truth Social post
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Saturday 7 November 2026 that UFC president and CEO Dana White 'has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States', asking him to bring six UFC fighters as assistants and ending: 'Dana, please take the job!' Whether the offer was serious is disputed — one aide said Trump was joking — and a source familiar with the matter told CNN that White declined. The White House and the UFC had not commented; the press secretary post has been vacant since Katie Zacharia was fired in October after five days in the job.
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This story is still being checked. Claims below are published as claims — never dressed as facts — and each one moves only when the evidence earns it.
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Key points
- Trump announced on Truth Social that Dana White 'has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States', and asked him to bring six UFC fighters as assistants.
- Whether the offer was serious is disputed — an aide told CNN it was a joke; a source familiar with the matter told CNN White declined.
- White's only public response was an Instagram photo of himself at the White House podium; the White House and UFC had not commented.
- The post has been vacant since October, when Katie Zacharia was fired after five days — the shortest stint in the job's history.
What happened
White, 57, is one of Trump's most visible allies: he has spoken at the last three Republican National Conventions, and the UFC staged a fight card on the White House lawn this summer for the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. Trump credits White with introducing him to the young male audiences of podcasts and influencers.
The offer came the day after Trump ousted his longtime chief of staff Susie Wiles and replaced her with Stephen Miller, and days after Democrats won control of Congress in the midterms — a staffing reshuffle in which the press secretary vacancy is the most public unfilled post.
Claim by claim
Why this label: The post is Trump's own words, quoted in full by CNN and USA Today and reported by Reuters; the fighter's name appears as 'Kayla Harris' in the post as quoted by USA Today. White House communications director Steven Cheung reposted the message adding 'Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!' (CNN).
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The joking account is one aide's, via CNN; no official statement either way exists. The dispute is carried openly rather than resolved here.
On the ladder: credible sources conflict, so we show both workings. One side's own statement is that side's position — never proof.
Why this label: The decline rests on a single anonymous source in CNN's report and has not been confirmed by White, the UFC or the White House; it is labelled accordingly.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
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Why this label: The vacancy history is CNN's reporting of the post's recent holders, consistent with USA Today's account of Zacharia's five days in October.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- Trump made the offer in a public Truth Social post, in the words quoted in the claims above.
- The press secretary post is vacant and has been since October.
What we don't know yet
- Whether the offer was seriously meant — an aide says it was a joke; no official statement settles it.
- White's own answer on the record — the reported decline rests on one anonymous source, and White himself has not said.
- Who will ultimately take the press secretary job.
Why it matters
The press secretary is the administration's daily public voice, and the post has been empty for three weeks amid a wider Trump staffing overhaul. Whether this offer was a joke, a trial balloon or a real approach to a fight promoter, the search it reveals is real — and White's answer, once he gives one on the record, will settle which it was.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
Karoline Leavitt leaves the press secretary job after a year and a half; she later joins Fox News as a contributor.
Katie Zacharia is fired after five days as press secretary, the shortest stint in the role's history; the post stays vacant.
Trump ousts chief of staff Susie Wiles and replaces her with Stephen Miller.
Trump posts that Dana White has been offered the press secretary job; CNN reports a source saying White declined and an aide saying the offer was a joke.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
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Published in Checking state — checking continues, and claims are labelled as reporting develops. Basis: Trump's own Truth Social post, with CNN's reporting of an aide's account and a source's account of White's answer.