Trump publicly offered the White House press secretary job to UFC boss Dana White in a social media post, urging him to accept. New York Post headlined it "Trump offers UFC boss Dana White role of White House press secretary: ‘Please take the job!’". BBC News headlined it "'Dana, please take the job!' - Trump asks UFC boss to be White House press secretary".
HuffPost headlined it "Trump Offers UFC President Dana White Press Secretary Position". CNBC headlined it "Trump offers UFC chief Dana White press secretary job".
White did not clearly accept or decline the offer in public, though one network reported, citing a source, that he had turned it down. BBC News reported: "CNN cited a source familiar as saying that White had declined the idea."1 CNBC reported: "CNN, citing a source, reported White had declined the president's offer."2
White said he plans to meet with Trump on Monday to discuss the role. The position has been open since the departure of the previous press secretary, Katie Zacharia, whose brief tenure ended after questions emerged about her description of herself as an attorney despite having failed the bar exam. The Guardian wrote: "The role of White House press secretary has been vacant for three weeks, since Trump’s previous pick, far-right commentator Katie Zacharia, was forced to resign after trying, and failing, to dodge questions about why she described herself as an attorney despite having failed the bar exam."3 New York Post noted: "Zacharia’s marked the shortest stint ever for a Trump aide — defeating the record set previously by White House communications chief Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted just 11 days before being canned in 2017."4
In the same post, Trump named two other dream hires for his administration who are not American citizens. The Guardian wrote: "In his post, Trump acknowledged that two of his dream hires, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, are not Americans, but he did not mention that Nurmagomedov is reportedly close to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, or that Makhachev has spoken out in defense of Palestinian civilians killed by Israel in Gaza."3
Commentary around the offer also touched on White's finances and his standing in the UFC, as well as past personal controversies. The Guardian noted: "There was no immediate response from White, who, some observers noted, might hesitate to leave a lucrative role running the UFC, which has earned him a fortune estimated to be in excess of $600m, for a job in government service that pays $195,000 a year."3 HuffPost reported: "White has been embroiled in multiple controversies as a figure in the manosphere, including being captured on video slapping his wife Anne White at a New Year’s Eve party in 2022."5 Mother Jones added: "White, who has no fighting record or governmental record, has owned UFC since 2001."6
White's political giving was also noted, including a contribution to a Republican-aligned super PAC. Washington Examiner reported: "White has donated to support Republican campaigns in recent elections, including a $1 million contribution to America First Action super PAC in 2019."7
The offer came as the administration navigated a difficult political stretch following the party's midterm losses. The Daily Caller stated: "The post from Trump comes as the White House deals with a transitional period and the Republican Party’s massive defeat in the midterm elections Tuesday."8
