Trump offers UFC’s Dana White the White House press secretary job; White says he will meet him Monday

Created: 2026-11-08T06:42:40-05:00 (America/New_York)
Last updated: 2026-11-09T06:38:40-05:00 (America/New_York)

Day 2 in the news · first ran Nov. 8

Google News put the offer at No. 1 on its Top and U.S. feeds. Of 100 headlines, 83 called it an offer and 14 mentioned a meeting; five said White declined.

Update, Nov. 9: President Trump told reporters in Florida on Sunday evening, Nov. 8, that he was “only kidding” about the offer. “I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea,” he said. “If you saw the assistants, I posted the greatest wrestlers and UFC fighters in the world, right? … You would’ve thought that people would’ve said, ‘He’s having a good time’” (ABC Australia, Fox News). He said, “This was an example of something where I was kidding,” and ABC Australia reported that he said he was kidding five times in a row. He called White “a very capable guy” and said “Dana is actually coming tomorrow,” for other reasons (Fox News). He gave no hint of who will get the job. Fox noted that when asked on Oct. 23 about replacing Katie Zacharia, Trump said, “We’re in no rush.” In a Google News search on the reversal, Nov. 8–9, 75 of 86 headlines used kidding or joke. One mentioned “loves the idea,” two mentioned the meeting, and none mentioned the vacancy. The Hill’s version was No. 8 on Google’s Top feed and No. 3 on its U.S. feed. The scout’s No. 1 cluster had 31 outlets.

President Trump said Saturday, Nov. 7, that he had offered UFC president and CEO Dana White the job of “Press Secretary of the United States.” White, speaking after a boxing event in London, said he was flying to Washington and would meet the president on Monday. He did not say whether he had accepted. CNN, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that White declined. One aide told CNN the offer was a joke.

What the record shows

• Trump’s post: “I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States.” He said he had requested that White bring “assistants, even though some are not from our Country,” and listed six UFC fighters with their photos. “We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!” (Truth Social, Nov. 7, as quoted by CNN, CNBC and ESPN). Trump posted from his Florida golf club (AP, ESPN).
• What White said: At a post-fight news conference in London he said he was flying to Washington “right now.” “I’m going to meet with [Trump]. We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that” (ESPN). CNN described him as deflecting a question about the offer and saying only that he planned to meet Trump on Monday. He did not say, on the record, that he had accepted or rejected the job.
• The decline report: CNN, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported Saturday that White “declined the unorthodox idea.” Anadolu Agency, Complex, The Times of India and others repeated that account. Awful Announcing noted that CNN and TMZ offered conflicting reports on White’s interest.
• The Instagram image: Before talking to reporters, White shared Trump’s post and a photo of himself standing behind the lectern in the White House briefing room with the caption “On to the next chapter” (ESPN, CNBC). CNBC said it was unclear whether that was an acceptance or a joke.
• The White House’s public line: Communications director Steven Cheung reposted Trump’s message and wrote, “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!” (CNN). The White House did not respond Saturday to ESPN’s questions about the Truth Social post. CNN said it had reached out to the White House and UFC for comment.
• The vacant job: Karoline Leavitt left the press secretary’s post in August, saying she wanted more time with her family, and later joined Fox News as a contributor (CNN). Katie Zacharia lasted five days in October after one briefing at which she took questions from three conservative outlets; Trump told reporters he asked her, “Katie, is this for you?” (CNBC). ESPN reported that Trump remains without a chief spokesperson.
• Other names floated: CNBC noted that Trump had recently speculated about considering Nicki Minaj as press secretary in an interview with podcaster Benny Johnson.

How we counted: Google News search for Dana White and press secretary, Nov. 7–8, duplicates removed by outlet and title. That gave 100 headlines. 83 used offer, offered, asked or wants; 14 mentioned a meeting; 5 said he declined, rejected or turned the job down; 7 mentioned assistants or fighters; 1 used joke or joking; none mentioned Leavitt, Zacharia or a vacant briefing room in the headline. Separately, the signed-out Google News Top feed and U.S./Nation feed both listed the NPR meeting headline first in this morning’s scout (Top feed recovered after an initial 503).

The facts of the post are not in dispute. What Sunday’s coverage did was elevate a celebrity staffing item to the top of the national file and treat it, in most headlines, as a straightforward job offer. The on-the-record trail is thinner: White has committed only to a meeting; CNN’s source says he said no; one aide told CNN the president was joking; and the post itself asked him to bring UFC fighters to “defend us against the Lunatic Left.” Those tensions rarely made the headline.

What questions the legacy media missed

• Was the offer a joke? One aide told CNN it was. Trump’s own words asked White to “please take the job,” and Cheung publicly urged him to take it. White’s public comments were about a Monday meeting, not a yes or no.
• Did White decline? CNN, citing an unnamed source, said yes. White himself did not say so on camera (ESPN, CNN). Readers of the five “declines” headlines and the 14 “will meet” headlines were getting different stories.
• Why is the job open? Leavitt left in August; Zacharia lasted five days after one briefing. Almost no headline on the White offer mentioned that vacancy or what the job requires after Democrats won Congress.
• What sat below this item? In this morning’s Google Top feed, the next stories were an Axios follow-up on Miller’s first West Wing departure, a Polish mass shooting, Israel’s government talks and a Brooklyn homicide. The elevation choice is the story as much as the offer itself.
• Update, Nov. 9: joke, or trial balloon? Saturday’s post said “Dana, please take the job!” and communications director Steven Cheung urged him to take it. On Sunday Trump said he was kidding, and also that White “loves the idea” and that people said it was “a pretty good idea.” Most headlines reported only the kidding.
• Update, Nov. 9: who briefs the press? The press secretary’s job has been empty since Zacharia left in October, and Trump named no one. No headline counted on the reversal mentioned the vacancy.

Primary sources

• CNN, via CBS 58 (Kaitlan Collins and Isabelle D’Antonio): Trump’s post; decline source; aide said it was a joke; Cheung repost
• ESPN: White’s Monday-meeting quotes; flying to Washington “right now”; Instagram lectern image; vacant post
• CNBC: Trump quotes; “On to the next chapter”; Zacharia briefing; Nicki Minaj mention
• AP: White confirms talks and a Monday meeting
• Fox News (Nov. 8): Trump’s on-camera “only kidding” remarks; “no rush” on Oct. 23
• ABC Australia (Nov. 9): tarmac remarks; “kidding” five times
• AP (Nov. 8): Trump says he was just kidding

How outlets framed it

Outlet headlines from today’s scout and searches — their words, not ours.

• NPR: “UFC’s Dana White says he will meet with Trump Monday over offer to be White House press secretary”
• CNN: “UFC CEO Dana White declines Trump’s offer to become press secretary, source says”
• The New York Times: “Trump Asks Dana White of U.F.C. to Be His Press Secretary”
• The Washington Post: “Trump says he offered White House press secretary role to UFC’s Dana White”
• AP: “UFC’s Dana White confirms talks with Trump over White House press secretary job”
• Axios: “Trump’s post-midterm plan? Dana White for press secretary”
• Reuters: “Trump says he wants UFC chief Dana White for White House press secretary”
• ESPN: “Trump offers press secretary role to Dana White; UFC boss to meet with president”
• CBS News: “Trump says he offered UFC CEO Dana White the White House press secretary role”
• The Guardian: “Trump says he asked Dana White, UFC boss, to be his new White House press secretary”
• The Hill (Nov. 8): “Trump says he was ‘kidding’ about Dana White for press secretary”
• The New York Times (Nov. 8): “Trump Was ‘Only Kidding’ in Asking Dana White to Be His Press Secretary”
• Yahoo Sports: “Donald Trump ‘only kidding’ about Dana White press secretary offer, but UFC boss ‘loves the idea’”
• Al Jazeera: “A joke or test? Why Trump floated UFC’s Dana White as his press secretary”
• The Daily Beast: “Trump Makes Bonkers Admission About Press Secretary Fiasco”