Trump offers Dana White press secretary job

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he has offered the White House press secretary job to UFC president Dana White, but it was not clear whether White accepted.

“I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, CBS News reported. The official title is White House press secretary.

CNBC reported that CNN, citing a source, said White had declined the offer. Earlier Saturday, White posted a photo on Instagram of himself standing behind the press secretary’s lectern at the White House, with the caption “On to the next chapter.” CBS News said at least one outlet suggested Trump’s post may have been tongue-in-cheek, and it had asked the White House and the UFC for comment.

Trump also asked White to bring assistants, naming current and former UFC fighters and commentators including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris. “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote.

The job has been open since Oct. 16, when commentator Katie Zacharia was removed after five days in the role, CBS News and CNBC reported. Trump said he suggested she quit after her first and only briefing, in which she took questions from three conservative outlets. She had replaced Karoline Leavitt, who stepped aside in August.

The offer came a day after Trump announced that deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff, CNBC reported, and days after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.

White, who runs a league CBS News said is valued at more than $15 billion, is a longtime Trump supporter. The White House hosted a UFC card on the South Lawn in July to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, which coincided with Trump’s 80th birthday.

The press secretary is the president’s main voice to reporters, including the Canadian journalists who cover the White House as Ottawa and Washington work on a trade deal. Our earlier reporting covers Carney and Trump’s trade talks, and our UFC Edmonton coverage reflects White’s league’s Canadian following.

Neither the White House nor the UFC had responded to requests for comment when CBS News and CNBC published their reports. This story will be updated if White confirms a decision.

Source: CBS News, CNBC.

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