Dana White Rejects Trump’s White House Press Secretary Offer, Says ‘I Don’t Want To Be In Politics’

Trump offers, White declines

U.S. President Donald Trump offered UFC chief executive Dana White the vacant White House press secretary position, and White rejected the proposal during an appearance in the White House press room.

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Dana White told reporters, "Thank you for the offer, sir. I don’t want to be in politics," and he added, "I have zero political aspirations."

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Trump responded by saying, "I am devastated to hear this. Goodbye, everybody," after White declined the job.

Dana White also described the prior day as "completely crazy" after Trump’s offer and backtrack were discussed publicly.

Trump had previously posted the offer on Truth Social and later told reporters, "I’m telling you I was just joking," as he left Florida.

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A joke, a vacancy, and confusion

Trump told reporters in Florida that he was "just joking" when he proposed Dana White as his next White House press secretary.

Trump said Dana White "loves the idea" and added, "there’s only one Dana," while he also said, "You wouldn’t mess with him so much."

The White House press secretary role had remained vacant since October 16, when Katie Zacharia was dismissed after only five days in office.

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Dana D. White, the former Pentagon spokesperson, wrote on LinkedIn, "To everyone who’s sending me congratulations… thank you, but you mean someone else with the name Dana White."

Dana White, the UFC head, reinforced the confusion by announcing that she intended to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet the president on Monday.

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What happens next

Trump said the meeting with White on Monday was scheduled for "other reasons," after White had announced plans to meet the president. Dana White said, "We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that," during a post-fight news conference in London. Trump’s offer had included a suggestion to bring in international fighters as aides, and the proposal named Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The TMZ account said White took over the podium during Trump’s briefing before turning down the job, and it described Trump’s final question as whether White would rather work at the White House or stick with his "ridiculous UFC." The White House press secretary vacancy persisted after White’s refusal, with the role last held by Katie Zacharia, who had been forced to leave after barely five days.

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