Trump offers White House press secretary job to UFC chief Dana White

US President Donald Trump has formally offered Dana White, head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation, the post of White House press secretary. Trump announced the offer in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump described White House as a "fighter and a warrior in the truest sense". He said he was confident White would prove to be the most effective and unmatched press secretary ever.

The offer is not limited to White. Trump has also given him direct permission to bring six current and former UFC fighters into the White House as assistants. The list includes Russian stars Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Americans Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and Kayla Harrison. Brazilian fighter Amanda Nunes, who received US citizenship last year, is also named.

Trump said such courageous sportspeople were needed to deal with left-leaning political opponents (the "Lunatic Left") who oppose the Trump government's policies and harass the administration. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, has also strongly backed Trump's stance.

Trump and White have been friends for nearly two decades. In the early 2000s, the UFC was struggling to break into the mainstream. Trump then offered his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City as a venue for UFC bouts.

White later delivered keynote speeches in support of Trump at the Republican National Conventions of 2016, 2020 and 2024. Recently, a special UFC bout was also held on the South Lawn of the White House to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. Against this background, Trump has offered White an important post in the administration.

The post of press secretary is considered highly sensitive and important in White House history. It fell vacant after Karoline Leavitt resigned in late August. Kaitlyn Zakaria was then appointed, but was removed after only five days because of a controversial performance at her first press conference. The post has been vacant since.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party has suffered a major setback in the recent midterm elections, and the Democrats have won a majority in both houses of Congress. Following the defeat, there are major reshuffles in the Trump administration. Susie Wiles, Trump's former chief adviser, has been removed as chief of staff, and Stephen Miller has been named the new chief of staff.