US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has asked Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to serve as White House press secretary.

"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 his Truth Social account.

"Dana, please take the job!" Trump said, calling on the longtime fight promoter to bring "assistants" with him "even though some are not from our country."

Is Dana White the new press secretary?

While White has neither formally accepted nor turned down the offer, the 57-year-old shared a photo of himself behind the lectern in the White House press briefing room on his Instagram Stories. Over the photo, he wrote: "On to the next chapter."

Minutes later, he reposted Trump's full Truth Social post offering him the White House press secretary job.

Meanwhile, CNN citing ‌a ​source familiar with the matter reported that White, who has been president of the UFC since 2001 and its CEO since 2023, turned down the offer.

White House press secretary role vacant since mid-October

The position of White House press secretary has been empty since October 16 when Katie Zacharia left the high-profile job after a shaky debut press briefing. 

Zacharia was out as press secretary after just five days on the job. She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down from the role at the end of August. 

Trump's offer to White came a day after he appointed Stephen Miller as his next chief of staff following massive Republican losses in the midterm elections.

Trump and Dana White are close friends

White is one of Trump's loyal supporters. The UFC chief publicly backed ​Trump's presidential campaign in ‌2016. When Trump won reelection in 2024, White appeared alongside Trump for his victory speech.

In recent years, Trump has attended several UFC events, including bouts in Miami, New York and New Jersey since winning his second White House term.

In June, the White House hosted its first-ever UFC event on the White House South Lawn as part of ⁠celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.