Dana White Declines Trump's Press Secretary Job Offer, Source Tells CNN

UFC president Dana White has turned down President Donald Trump’s offer to become White House press secretary, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Saturday, November 7, 2026. The Dana White press secretary offer lasted less than a day, from Trump’s Truth Social announcement in the early afternoon to White’s quiet refusal hours later, leaving the White House still searching for a permanent spokesperson more than three weeks after the job fell vacant.

Key Points

• A source familiar with the matter told CNN on Saturday, November 7, 2026, that Dana White declined President Donald Trump’s offer to become White House press secretary.
• Trump announced the offer on Truth Social at 1:40 p.m. ET, calling White “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” and asking him to bring six UFC fighters as assistants.
• White deflected a question about the offer at a news conference on Saturday, saying only that he plans to fly to Washington to meet Trump on Monday.
• One White House aide said Trump was joking about the offer, while communications director Steven Cheung reposted Trump’s message, adding “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!”
• The press secretary job has been vacant since October 16, after Karoline Leavitt left in August and Katie Zacharia served a five-day stint.

What Happened

Trump unveiled the offer on Saturday afternoon. “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 wrote, asking White to bring six fighters as assistants — Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison — “even though some are not from our Country”.

“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!” Trump wrote.

Minutes after the post appeared, White responded on his Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of the announcement alongside an AI-generated image of himself at the briefing-room lectern. He captioned it “On to the next chapter”, a tease that stopped short of a formal acceptance.

By Saturday evening, a source familiar with the matter told CNN that White had declined the offer. The White House made no separate announcement, and White said nothing public about turning the job down. Asked about it at a news conference on Saturday, he sidestepped the question, saying only that he plans to fly to Washington to meet Trump on Monday.

Background

White, 57, has led the Ultimate Fighting Championship as president and chief executive for more than two decades. He has repeatedly said he has no political ambitions and is not interested in a government job. Running the UFC leaves little room for a daily briefing schedule.

The press secretary’s job has been vacant since October 16, 2026, when Katie Zacharia left after a five-day tenure. Leavitt had departed in August after a year and a half in the role and has since joined Fox News as a contributor. Trump fired Zacharia after a single rocky briefing.

The offer came a day after Trump named Stephen Miller his new chief of staff, starting Monday, November 9. Miller replaces Susie Wiles, whom Trump ousted on Friday. The two moves point to a president reshaping his senior team after the midterm elections.

Dana White Press Secretary Offer: Why the UFC Chief Said No

White has never hidden his loyalty to Trump, but loyalty and a government job are different things. The UFC chief runs a global sports empire, and the press secretary’s job is a daily grind of briefings and crisis management. Nothing in White’s career suggests he wants to trade fight nights for the briefing room.

The six fighters Trump named also raised practical questions. Makhachev and Nurmagomedov are from Russia, Nunes is Brazilian, and White House staff roles normally require American citizenship and security clearances.

It is also unclear whether the offer was ever meant seriously. One White House aide said Trump was joking, a reading that fits the post’s tone. For White, the decline costs him nothing: he keeps his job, his business and his friendship with the president, and the refusal was delivered quietly, through a source.

Reactions and Quotes

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding: “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!”

White’s public response was short and deliberately ambiguous: “On to the next chapter”, posted alongside the AI image of himself at the lectern. Asked about the offer at a news conference, he said only that he plans to fly to Washington, D.C., to meet Trump on Monday.

Communications director Steven Cheung reposted Trump’s message with the words: “Hell yeah! Do it, @DanaWhite!” A different White House aide, speaking anonymously, said Trump was joking. Trump also signalled more staffing changes, telling CBS News on Friday: “I’ll be doing maybe a few changes.”

Why It Matters

The White House has now gone more than three weeks without a permanent press secretary. The briefing room is where the administration explains itself to the country, and a long gap leaves that work to spokespeople without the authority of the title. The vacancy matters more now that Democrats have won both chambers of Congress and pledged to investigate the administration.

The episode also says something about how Trump governs after a bruising midterm defeat: rather than a conventional communications professional, he turned to a fight promoter he trusts, in public, on social media. It has now produced two failed appointments in a row: a five-day tenure and an offer declined within hours.

What Happens Next

White is due in Washington on Monday to meet Trump. If the refusal stands, the search continues, and the post will have been vacant for a month by the time a replacement is found.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Dana White accept the press secretary job?
No. A source told CNN on Saturday, November 7, 2026, that White declined Trump’s offer, hours after Trump announced it.

When did Trump make the offer?
In a Truth Social post at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 7, 2026, a day after naming Stephen Miller his new chief of staff.

Who are the six fighters Trump named?
Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison.

Was Trump joking?
It is unclear. One White House aide said Trump was joking, while communications director Steven Cheung publicly cheered the idea on.

Why is the press secretary job vacant?
Karoline Leavitt left in August 2026 and has since joined Fox News. Her successor, Katie Zacharia, left on October 16 after a five-day tenure, the shortest in the role’s history.

Related: Trump offers Dana White the press secretary job, Katie Zacharia breaks her silence on her five-day White House exit, Trump names Stephen Miller chief of staff as Susie Wiles exits.