President Donald Trump watches a match during the UFC 327 event at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump on Saturday took to Truth Social with a truly baffling update on his hunt for a new White House Press Secretary, announcing that he had made an offer to an outspoken ally whom he praised as "violent" and "a fighter."
Weeks after Katie Zacharia flamed out of the role in less than a week, Trump announced that he had "offered" the role to Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship MMA promotion, as well as a long-time friend of the president and booster of GOP politics overall. White, like most of Trump's appointees, lacks any political or White House experience, though he has participated in countless press scrums relating to his role leading UFC.
While the announcement left many observers online baffled and grimly amused, the post made clear that White has not actually accepted the role. The president also claimed that he had asked White to bring in various notable MMA fighters as "assistants," making the post all the more surreal
"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's post stated. "I have requested that he bring with him assistants, even though some are not from our Country, of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris. We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!"
White previously promoted a UFC event on the grounds of the White House to commemorate Trump's birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S., an event widely condemned for besmirching the dignity of the presidency and the People's House. He has also spoken at past RNC events and donated extensively to Republican candidates and political ventures.
Prior to Trump's post on Saturday, speculation had run rampant that he might choose rapper Nicki Minaj for the press secretary role, after she made a major pivot towards MAGA politics during Trump's return to the White House, and in the wake of appearances she made at the president's midterm rallies.
"I thought nothing he could do at this point would surprise me but I had to like quintuple check this was not fake," Forbes writer Paul Tassi wrote about the news on X.
"We’re living at the intersection of the darkest of times and the dumbest of times," political organizer Melanie D'Arrigo wrote in her own post.
"Susie Wiles has not even been gone for a day," Wired's Hugo Lowell posted.
