At a Nov. 9 White House news conference with President Donald Trump, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White turned down Trump’s joking offer to become White House press secretary, saying he did not “want to be in politics.”
“The last 24 hours of my life have been insane,” White said.
Trump announced that he had offered the job to White in a Nov. 7 Truth Social post but said a day later that he was “only kidding” about the offer.
“We were having a very bad press day,” Trump told reporters on Nov. 9. “I said ‘I think I’m going to get Dana White to be our next press secretary.'” The president added that he thought White would be “fantastic” in the role.
White told reporters in London that he was flying to Washington, DC, to meet with Trump on Nov. 7, the same day Trump announced on a Truth Social post. White posted a photo of himself at the White House podium following the post but quickly returned to promoting UFC fights.
The UFC CEO is a longtime friend of Trump and has hosted him at fights over the years, including UFC’s Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn in June to celebrate the president’s birthday. He introduced the president at a rally in Las Vegas in August and previously spoke at the 2016 and 2024 Republican National Conventions, introducing Trump at the latter.
White’s appearance comes in the wake of Republican losses in the midterm elections and Trump’s low approval ratings.
The White House press secretary role has been open since Katie Zacharia left after only five days on the job in October. Zacharia followed Karoline Leavitt, who left the role in August after the birth of her second child.
