Trump says he invited Dana White to be White House press secretary, CNN says he declined
U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on November 7 that he had offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary position. Trump called White a “violent Fighter and Warrior” and asked him to bring fighters including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harrison as assistants “to fight the Lunatic Left.”
Trump wrote in the post, “Dana, please take the job!” The White House press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left in mid-October. White later posted a photo on Instagram Stories of himself standing behind the podium in the White House briefing room, with the caption “On to the next chapter.”
CNN reported that a person familiar with the matter said White had declined the offer. Some reports said the post may have been intended as a joke. As of verification, the White House and UFC had not issued formal statements confirming or denying the offer.
Original sources:
Title: UFC CEO Dana White declines Trump’s offer to become press secretary, source says Publisher: CNN Publication date: 2026-11-07 URL: https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/07/politics/dana-white-trump-press-secretary Nature of source: news report Verification: This read CNN’s report and multiple media outlets’ quotations of Trump’s original Truth Social post; cross-checked White’s Instagram response Supporting content: Trump publicly invited White to be press secretary, and CNN reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that he had declined
ABAB AI Insight
Trump’s post described White as a “violent Fighter and Warrior” and listed several UFC fighters as potential assistants, a phrasing that differs from a conventional political appointment announcement. The post also included a plea to “please take the job,” showing both a public invitation and an intention to persuade.
White’s Instagram response used “On to the next chapter” with an image, without directly accepting or rejecting the offer. CNN’s report, meanwhile, cited a person familiar with the matter as saying he had declined. Together, these leave the public status of the matter with differing accounts.
The position had been vacant for weeks, after Katie Zacharia’s brief tenure. Trump and White have long been political allies, and the two previously worked together to host UFC events at the White House. The public invitation came during a period of personnel changes after Republicans’ midterm election losses.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
The public social media invitation and the report citing a person familiar with the matter as saying he had declined coexist.
White’s Instagram response did not directly confirm acceptance or rejection.
The position has remained vacant since after mid-October.