Trump offers UFC boss role of White House press secretary

President Donald Trump proposed that Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), join his administration as White House press secretary, according to a social media post on Saturday. Trump characterized White, who staged a UFC event at the White House to celebrate the president's 80th birthday in June, as "a violent Fighter and Warrior," a term he said was unlike any previously used for a press secretary.

The president asked White, a vocal supporter who campaigned for him during the 2024 elections, to bring six UFC fighters to serve as press aides, claiming they would "defend us against the Lunatic Left." It remains unclear whether this offer is part of a genuine plan or a publicity stunt from a president seeking to divert attention from his party's recent electoral defeats.

White's response to the offer was not immediately available, as some observers suggested he might be hesitant to leave the lucrative UFC, which has reportedly earned him over $600 million, for a government position that pays $195,000 annually. The president's announcement was accompanied by images depicting White in a press room wearing the presidential seal, along with photographs of the six UFC fighters Trump envisions deploying to handle challenging questions from reporters.

Of note, two of the fighters, Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, are not American citizens and have expressed support for Muslim-majority regions and criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza, respectively. The president did not address these facts in his post. Additionally, two former UFC fighters, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison, are mentioned in the post, though their names were mistakenly transcribed as "Harris."