Trump’s Wild Hire: UFC In The Briefing Room?

President Trump publicly offered the job of White House press secretary to UFC boss Dana White, then watched his own communications director cheer the idea on social media before White reportedly turned it down.

Story Snapshot

Trump posted on Truth Social on November 7, 2026, saying he offered Dana White the press secretary job and asked him to “please take the job!”
Trump’s post also asked White to bring UFC fighters as assistants, including Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, to “defend us against the Lunatic Left.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung reposted the announcement, writing “Hell yeah!” rather than walking it back.
A source told CNN that White declined the offer, while a White House aide said Trump was joking.
White himself posted an image of standing at the briefing room podium captioned “On to the next chapter,” without directly confirming acceptance.

Trump’s Social Media Announcement Surprises Washington

President Trump wrote on Truth Social that “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior,” had been offered the press secretary job. He closed the post with a direct plea: “Dana, please take the job!” The announcement came with no advance warning and used language far outside normal government hiring procedures.

Trump didn’t stop at naming White. He asked White to bring assistants, “even though some are not from our Country,” and listed UFC stars including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harrison. Trump said the group was needed “to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” folding a personnel decision into partisan combat language.

White House Staff Amplified the Idea Instead of Denying It

Rather than clarify or dismiss the post, White House communications director Steven Cheung reposted Trump’s message and added, “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!” That response signaled internal enthusiasm, or at least public support, even as reporters sought confirmation on whether the offer was real.

The White House did not respond right away to multiple news outlets asking about the Truth Social post. ESPN and The New York Times both reported that requests for comment to the White House, White, and the UFC went unanswered in the hours after the announcement. That silence left reporters leaning on Trump’s post and anonymous sources to piece together what actually happened.

Mixed Signals Over Whether White Accepted

CNN reported that a source familiar with the situation said White chose not to accept the position. The same report cited a White House aide who suggested Trump was joking about the whole idea, creating conflicting accounts of how serious the offer really was. No on-record statement from White has confirmed either story.

Trump Says He Offered White House Press Secretary Job to UFC Chief Dana Whitehttps://t.co/xjTUqqBpW3

— Matthew Roberts (@Qoatzecotl) November 8, 2026

White’s own response added to the confusion. He shared Trump’s post on Instagram along with a photo of himself standing behind the White House press briefing room podium, captioned “On to the next chapter.” The image reads as playful rather than a formal yes or no, leaving the public guessing about his real intentions.

A Role With No Rulebook

The press secretary job has never required Senate approval or any formal qualifications. The role began in 1929 when President Herbert Hoover assigned press duties to aide George Akerson, and presidents since then have picked friends, campaign staffers, and communications veterans based on personal trust rather than a fixed job description. In that sense, offering the job to a longtime friend outside politics isn’t unprecedented, even if the method was unusual.

What stands out here isn’t just who got the offer, but how it was made and handled afterward. A major personnel decision played out through a social media post, a one-word cheer from a top aide, and conflicting anonymous accounts, with no formal White House confirmation days later. For a public used to formal announcements, the episode reads as another sign that normal process has given way to spectacle, whether or not Trump meant it as a joke.