Dana White Meets Trump Over Press Secretary Job as Podium Sits Empty Three Weeks After Zacharia's Five-Day Stint

Dana White, the boss of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is due to meet Donald Trump at the White House on Monday 9 November. Trump offered him the job of press secretary on Saturday 7 November. The role means taking reporters' questions for the president at briefings.

Nobody has held the post since Katie Zacharia left on 16 October after five days. Her exit has left the podium empty for more than three weeks, a stretch that included the midterms. But CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that White had declined the offer.

What Trump Offered and How White Responded

Trump, a longtime friend who often attends White's fight cards, sent the offer in a message on his platform Truth Social. He asked White to bring six fighters as assistants, among them Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, and Amanda Nunes. Trump said the group would defend the administration against left-wing critics. He ended by writing, 'Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other.' His full message appears below.

On Saturday evening, White was at a Zuffa Boxing event in London, where he told reporters he would fly to Washington. When a reporter asked how he would fit the role around his fight business, he said he had 'a lot of jobs already.' The president's camp has sent mixed signals about the offer. According to CNN, an aide called it a joke, while Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, reposted the offer and added 'Hell yeah!'

Why the Briefing Room Has No Spokesperson

Karoline Leavitt held the job from January 2025 until the end of August. She quit to spend time with her family. Zacharia, a conservative pundit who worked for Trump Media & Technology Group, took over on 12 October. Her brief one-day tenure drew wide criticism, and NBC News reported that she called herself a lawyer without passing the bar exam. Even Anthony Scaramucci lasted less than 11 days as communications director in 2017.

Zacharia's exit is part of a wider shake-up of the president's top staff. Trump announced on Friday, 6 November, that Susie Wiles would leave the post of White House chief of staff, naming his long-serving aide Stephen Miller as her replacement. Three days earlier, Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterms. Once the new Congress sits, that result could expose Trump's government to Democratic investigations.

Where White Stands Now

White has not publicly confirmed whether he will take the job. In London, he said he expected to have more to say after meeting the president. On Sunday, Trump shared a cartoon video of White taking questions at the briefing room podium. The cartoon also shows UFC fighters beside White.

Trump's message set off a theory online that the president meant Dana W. White, a former chief Pentagon spokesperson. She wrote on LinkedIn that well-wishers had the wrong Dana White, adding, 'I have never stood in an octagon.' If the UFC boss accepts, he would become the third press secretary of Trump's second term.