UFC CEO rejects Trump's White House press secretary job 'offer'
What's the story
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White on Monday turned down United States President Donald Trump's offer to become the White House press secretary. The offer was made during a surprise appearance at the White House, where Trump jokingly suggested that he would like White to take on the role. "So let me ask you....Would you like to be press secretary...Or do you just want to stay with this ridiculous UFC? Huh?" Trump asked his long-time friend.
Job rejection
I have 0 political aspirations: White
"Thank you for the offer, sir... I do not want to be in politics," White responded.
He said, "I don't tell the president 'no' to anything... I didn't want to be disrespectful and say anything until he said something first."
"I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everybody," Trump responded before praising White.
"He's a great guy," he told reporters.
"The only problem is he'll talk for little while, and then he's going to beat the hell out of you."
White
'Last 24 hours of my life have been insane'
When White took the lectern, he pretended to play the role of a press secretary, telling the reporters, "I've always wanted to do this. Who has the first question?"
He said that "the last 24 hours of my life have been insane" since Trump teased the role on Truth Social.
White also called Trump "the toughest, most resilient human being."
Twitter Post
Watch video here
🚨 BREAKING: Acting "White House Press Secretary" DANA WHITE just WALKED OUT in the briefing room with President Trump
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 9, 2026
The joke became reality!
WHITE: "I've ALWAYS wanted to do this! WHO has the first question?!"
It ACTUALLY happened 🤣
And he's already taking questions! pic.twitter.com/KlHMIq6bXW
Light-hearted banter
White also joked about hypothetical Trump vs Biden match
Trump's announcement had sent social media into a frenzy, with many claiming he had confused White with another person of the same name.
One of the most viral posts was by Spencer T Hakimian, founder of New York-based hedge fund Tolou Capital Management.
He posted a video about Dana W White, who served as Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. He joked that someone must have recommended her to Trump and he mistook her for UFC's White.
Identity mix-up
'We were having a very bad press day'
Trump has been searching for a press secretary since Karoline Leavitt left in August and her replacement, Katie Zacharia, was fired last month after five days.
He said he floated White for press secretary because "we were having a very bad press day."
"I sent it to a group of the press, and that was it. I was sort of kidding, and then they wrote the stories as though I wasn't kidding," Trump said.