In a surprise public announcement posted to his Truth Social platform, former and newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump has formally invited long-time personal friend and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White to fill the long-empty White House press secretary role. Trump framed the unconventional nomination as a historic pick, writing in his post that “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” before directly urging the UFC leader to accept the position. The high-profile opening has remained unfilled since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia stepped down from the role after serving for only a handful of days, marking one of the shortest tenures for a White House communications lead in modern U.S. political history. The public outreach to White comes on the heels of a bruising midterm election cycle for Trump’s Republican Party, which suffered unexpected losses that cost the party its majority in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, leaving the administration in urgent need of a high-profile, communicative figure to navigate upcoming political headwinds. As of press time, the BBC has reached out for official statements from both the White House and TKO Holdings, the parent corporate entity that oversees UFC operations, but neither party has issued a formal response to the public job offer. Trump and White have maintained a close, years-long personal and professional alliance, with White being a vocal public supporter of Trump’s political campaigns dating back to his first run for the presidency in 2016.
‘Dana, please take the job!’ – Trump asks UFC boss to be White House press secretary
