President Donald Trump says he has offered UFC CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary. The news came from Trump’s own social media on Saturday, Nov. 7, and within minutes The Hill, the Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial and StreetInsider all had it up. The Daily Mail’s headline described White as a replacement for “fired Katie Zacharia,” which is about all the public information there is on the vacancy itself.
Then came the staffing plan. Trump wrote that he had asked White to bring assistants with him, “even though some are not from our Country,” and listed Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison. (The post, as quoted on r/MMA, spelled her name “Kayla Harris.”) The Reddit user who shared it with fight fans felt obligated to add that it was not a joke, which tells you how the first read went for most people.
What isn’t public yet is White’s answer. None of the early reports included a response from him, and nobody has explained how a guy running the UFC would also stand behind a podium every afternoon.
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If you were scouting White’s media skills this week, the tape is mixed. He told Jim Rome he may have punished Josh Hokit with matchmaking: “I didn’t like some of the things he said, so I might’ve threw some tough guys at him.” That’s an honest answer, and a press secretary who admits he sets up tough draws for critics would be a new one for the briefing room. On the same show he gave an actual news nugget about Ilia Topuria: “He’ll come back in early 2027. We’re working on that.” And in a separate exchange, Deontay Wilder asked White about his energy levels in the bedroom, and White answered, “I feel like I’m in my thirties.” No follow-up questions, please.
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The proposed staff has its own friction. On Nov. 6, Topuria said in an interview via @abc_es that Gaethje doesn’t call any shots and that “Justin is a nobody,” adding that “Justin even as the champion would have to be the co-main event” if Topuria fights Paddy Pimblett. Makhachev isn’t drama-free either. Carlos Prates reposted a Makhachev quote from the UFC PI this week with three lying-face emojis attached. So the hypothetical comms shop already has one assistant getting trashed by a rival and another getting called a liar by a welterweight.
My take: I’ve lost money on crazier things than Dana White at a podium, but not many. If a book hung a number on him actually taking the job, I’d want a big plus price before I touched it, because the man has a promotion to run and he just told Rome he’s busy building Topuria’s comeback. The one hire on that list who would genuinely crush a briefing is Cormier, who has been talking into a microphone for a living for years. Khabib would answer every question with a shrug and a two-word reply, and honestly that might poll better. The first date on White’s calendar that we actually know about is Topuria’s return in early 2027, and that’s the one I’d bet he keeps.
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