‘Dana, please take the job!’ – Trump asks UFC boss to be White House press secretary

President Donald Trump has publicly offered Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White the position of White House press secretary. In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump stated, "Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other," urging him to accept the role. The authenticity of the president's offer remains uncertain, prompting inquiries from the BBC to both the White House and TKO Holdings, UFC's parent company.

The White House press secretary vacancy had been vacant since mid-October when Katie Zacharia departed after only a few days. Trump's post follows the party's electoral setbacks in the US midterm elections, resulting in the loss of congressional majorities.

In the post, Trump referred to White as a "violent Fighter and Warrior," suggesting he bring several high-profile UFC fighters with him. He expressed the need for these fighters to "defend us against the Lunatic Left," accompanied by images of six fighters.

Following Trump's post, White shared an Instagram photo of himself in front of the podium in the White House press briefing room, captioning it, "On to the next chapter." It is unclear whether the post was intended as humor.

White has a history of confrontations with journalists. In 2020, he released a video targeting reporters who questioned the UFC's decision to hold fights during the pandemic. In 2009, he released an expletive-laden video in response to a journalist's story about changes to backstage credentialing rules at UFC events.

A longtime associate and friend of Trump, White played a crucial role in the organisation's early days when the UFC faced intense bipartisan opposition. In 2001, Trump hosted two UFC events at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, helping save the struggling organisation. Recently, the UFC held a cage match on the White House lawn, which solidified White's association with the Trump administration.