In the days after his party suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections, Donald Trump floated a strange idea on social media: that Dana White, the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a loyal friend of more than two decades, might become his next White House press secretary. The offer, half proposal and half performance, was quickly retracted as a joke, yet it stirs a familiar question about how entertainment, loyalty and political power have grown tangled together. It arrives at a moment when the press office itself sits empty, and when the line between spectacle and governance s
Trump jokes about making UFC chief Dana White his press secretary, then says he was 'only kidding'
"It would be really funny if it wasn't dangerous, if he wasn't the president."
Mark
Trump says it was a joke. Why is anyone still talking about it?
Mimi
Because the vacancy is real. Two press secretaries have left since August, Leavitt for family reasons and Zacharia after five days. And White isn't a stranger; he's been beside Trump for nearly a decade.
Mark
What does the history between them add?
Mimi
It goes back to 2001, when Trump hosted UFC events at the Taj Mahal while the sport was criticized as too violent. White said at the 2016 convention that no arenas wanted them and Trump reached out.
Luke
Worth noting that's White's account of it, given at a political convention. The hosting of events is documented in the reporting, but the motive is his telling.
Mark
And the influencer link to the 2024 campaign?
Mimi
Trump himself credited White with introducing him to young influencers. The campaign courted Theo Von and Joe Rogan.
Luke
Experts say the campaign benefited significantly, but we don't have a figure for how much. That's a judgment, not a measurement.
Mark
Critics also raised the stock purchase.
Mimi
Trump reportedly bought up to $50,000 of TKO Holding stock before the White House fight, and a lawsuit called the event corrupt.
Luke
Careful with both. "Reportedly" and "up to" mean the amount isn't confirmed, and the lawsuit is an allegation. A judge declined to block the fight, according to an Al Jazeera headline.
Mark
So what's actually unknown?
Luke
What Monday's meeting is about. White said he'd have more to say afterward. Whether the joke was a joke or a trial balloon, nobody outside the two men can say.
Il Polso
- Trump posted on Truth Social that UFC chief Dana White could be the next press secretary, calling him a 'violent Fighter and Warrior' who would bring fighters as 'assistants'.
- Within a day Trump said he was 'only kidding', while White had already brushed the job aside, saying he had 'a lot of jobs already'.
- Both men traded AI-generated memes of White at the White House podium, turning a vacancy joke into a viral spectacle.
- Democrats called the offer dangerous and unserious, and critics tied it to conflict-of-interest concerns and to a distraction from the election losses.
- White and Trump meet in Washington on Monday, and the press secretary post, left vacant after Katie Zacharia's brief tenure, remains unfilled.
In the days after his party suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections, Donald Trump floated a strange idea on social media: that Dana White, the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a loyal friend of more than two decades, might become his next White House press secretary. The offer, half proposal and half performance, was quickly retracted as a joke, yet it stirs a familiar question about how entertainment, loyalty and political power have grown tangled together. It arrives at a moment when the press office itself sits empty, and when the line between spectacle and governance seems harder than ever to see.
On Saturday, days after Republicans took heavy losses in the midterm elections, President Trump posted that Dana White, chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, could be his next White House press secretary. He praised White as a fierce warrior who would bring leading fighters along to defend the administration against what he called the Lunatic Left.
By Sunday, as Trump left West Palm Beach, he had reversed course, insisting he was only kidding and that Dana loves the idea, though there is only one Dana. White had already waved the notion off, saying he had plenty of jobs already. Both men then shared AI-generated memes of White behind the podium, one of them showing a fighter body-slamming a reporter who asked whether Trump threatens democracy.
The joke landed on a real vacancy. Katie Zacharia left the post last month after only five days, following criticism over claims about her legal credentials, and she had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August.
The bond between the two men is decades old. White, a former bouncer and boxer, helped turn the UFC into a major business after buying it in 2001 with backing from casino owners. Trump hosted a championship at his Atlantic City casino when the sport was under fire, and White later became one of Trump's most visible allies, donating to his campaigns, endorsing him and helping him reach younger audiences through podcasts and influencers.
Trump's second term has given the UFC a prominent stage, from a fight card on the White House lawn to events tied to the 250th anniversary. Critics have raised conflict-of-interest concerns, given Trump's reported stock holdings in the UFC's parent company. Democrats responded sharply, with one calling the administration ridiculous and a senator warning the joke would be funny if the man were not president.
Now attention turns to Monday's meeting between the two men, and to whether the press secretary job will finally get a permanent occupant.
On Saturday, days after his party took record losses in the midterm elections, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, could be his next White House press secretary. He called White "a violent Fighter and Warrior" and said White would bring leading UFC fighters along as "assistants" to "defend us against the Lunatic Left."
Within a day, Trump was walking it back. Leaving West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, he said he was "only kidding," and complained that people should have taken it as a man having a good time. He added that "Dana loves the idea, and there's only one Dana." White, at a news conference on Saturday, had already brushed off the job, saying he had "a lot of jobs already." He confirmed he would meet Trump in Washington on Monday and said he would have more to say afterward.
Over the weekend both men also posted AI-generated memes about the idea. White put an image of himself behind the White House podium on Instagram Stories, captioned "On to the next chapter." Trump shared an animated cartoon of White in the briefing room, flanked by fighters, one of whom body-slams a reporter who asks whether Trump is a threat to democracy.
The joke lands on a real vacancy. Katie Zacharia left the press secretary post last month, within five days of being hired, after criticism that she had presented herself as a lawyer without a US licence. She had followed Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down at the end of August, citing the needs of her growing family.
White's ties to Trump run back more than two decades. A former bouncer and small-time boxer, he opened a boxing gym in Boston, then moved to Las Vegas around the time the UFC was founded in 1993. In 2001 he persuaded two casino-magnate friends to buy the UFC for $2m and make him president. That year, with the sport under fire as too violent, Trump agreed to host the championship at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, and the UFC returned the next year. At the 2016 Republican National Convention, White said, "No arenas wanted us. This guy reached out, and he's always been a friend to me."
White has been at Trump's side at campaign events for nearly a decade. He visited the White House in 2018, endorsed Trump in 2020, donated $1m to that campaign, and spoke at the party's convention. In 2024, Trump credited White with introducing him to young influencers. The campaign courted Theo Von and Joe Rogan, whose podcast reportedly draws about 11 million listeners per episode. The UFC itself was sold for $4bn in 2016, and White became CEO in 2023 after a merger with World Wrestling Entertainment valued at some $21bn.
Trump's second term has given the UFC a prominent stage. "UFC Freedom 250," tied to the 250th Independence Day celebrations, held a fighter weigh-in on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with a military honour guard, and the fights took place on the White House lawn. Critics raised conflict-of-interest concerns, noting Trump reportedly bought up to $50,000 of stock in TKO Holding, the UFC's parent company. A lawsuit called the event "deeply corrupt."
Democrats responded sharply. Representative Melat Kiros of Colorado said the offer showed "how deeply unserious this man is, how ridiculous this administration is." Senator Mark Kelly said, "It would be really funny if it wasn't dangerous, if he wasn't the president," and added that other countries "continue to laugh at us." Some opponents saw a distraction from the election results. The Dana White who served as a Pentagon spokesperson in Trump's first term said she had not been approached, writing on LinkedIn that congratulating texters had the wrong Dana White.
What to watch now is Monday's meeting, and whether the press secretary job, vacant since Zacharia's exit, gets a permanent occupant.
Citazioni salienti
I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea, and there's only one Dana.— President Donald Trump, Sunday
I got a lot of jobs already.— Dana White, Saturday news conference
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Politics & Governance