Donald Trump has offered UFC chief Dana White the role of White House press secretary, with the pair due to meet on Monday to discuss the proposal.
White confirmed the meeting after a boxing event in London on Saturday, saying he would travel to the White House to discuss the US president’s offer.
Trump announced the proposal in a post on Truth Social, writing: “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other. Dana, please take the job!”
He also asked White to bring assistants with him, “even though some are not from our Country”. Trump named six current and former UFC title holders whom he said should join White, including Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov from Russia’s Dagestan region.
The other names were Americans Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and “Kayla Harris”, apparently a reference to Kayla Harrison, as well as Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian who became a US citizen last year.
“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump wrote.
The White House press secretary position has been vacant since Katie Zacharia’s tenure ended last month after five days. Zacharia had succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left the role at the end of August.
White and Trump first worked together in the early 2000s, and became closer after the UFC chief publicly backed Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016.
Trump has attended several UFC events in recent years. In June, the White House hosted a night of UFC fights as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
The White House press office already includes a former UFC spokesperson. Communications director Steven Cheung worked for White’s organisation from 2013 to 2016 and shared Trump’s message on X, writing: “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite! It’ll just be like old times!”
