Vol. II, No. 168 From Our Region to Yours
Politics

Trump Offers Dana White the Press Secretary Job and Six UFC Fighters to Handle Follow-Ups

The post has been open since Katie Zacharia left after five days. The president's offer to the UFC chief came with a staff: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov and four others, 'to defend us against the Lunatic Left.'

By 2 min read

Dana White, bald and smiling, in a black long-sleeve shirt, holds a microphone with a UFC flag on it in front of a dark backdrop advertising UFC 189, Aldo vs. McGregor.
Dana White taking questions at a UFC 189 promotional event in 2015. He has done this before, with a smaller staff. Photo: Andrius Petrucenia / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

WASHINGTON — The White House press secretary job has been open since mid-October. On Saturday, President Trump offered it to the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“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 on Truth Social, Yahoo Sports reported.

The offer came with a staff. Trump asked White to bring six assistants, “even though some are not from our Country.”

He named them: Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and “Kayla Harris.” Yahoo Sports noted that the last one is Kayla Harrison, the UFC bantamweight champion.

Harrison is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She defends her title at UFC 334 next week. Nobody has said whether the White House job comes with a weigh-in.

“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote. “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!”

The applicant

White has not formally responded, according to the BBC and Yahoo Sports.

He did post an Instagram story. It showed a screenshot of the offer and a picture of himself behind the briefing room podium. The caption read, “On to the next chapter.”

The BBC said it was unclear whether that was tongue-in-cheek. It also said it was unclear whether the offer was genuine. The two men have been friends for 25 years. Neither has clarified.

The Jerusalem Post reported that White has previously said he has no political ambitions and no interest in a government job. That would make him the most qualified applicant so far.

The BBC asked the White House and TKO, the UFC’s parent company, for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPost either.

The opening

The job became available when Katie Zacharia left after five days. She had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left in August after the birth of her second child, Yahoo Sports reported.

During Leavitt’s leave, briefings were handled by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. None of them brought assistants.

The offer follows a midterm election in which Republicans lost their congressional majorities, the BBC reported. The administration is now hiring for defense.

The experience

White has met reporters before. The BBC noted he has clashed with journalists at news conferences, and in 2020 released a video aimed at reporters who questioned the UFC’s pandemic schedule.

He also has a working relationship with the venue. In June, the UFC held a card on the White House South Lawn. Gaethje won the main event in an upset, Yahoo Sports reported.

Gaethje is on the list of assistants. He has already won at the White House once.

“It’s the first briefing room with a corner team,” said a source known to this bureau only as Deep Throat Lozenge. “Questions will be taken in three five-minute rounds.”

The job remains open. The podium has been photographed with its next occupant. Nobody has said whether he took it.

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