Dana White declined President Donald Trump’s offer to become White House press secretary, CNN reported on November 7, citing a source familiar with the matter. The report updates an earlier account that the UFC chief executive was expected to meet Trump to discuss the proposal.
Trump announced the offer in a Truth Social post on Saturday and publicly urged his longtime ally to accept. However, an offer from the president is different from an accepted appointment, and the available reporting does not establish that White will take the job.
CNN’s account attributes the rejection to an unnamed source. Earlier reports had left White’s response unresolved, with the White House and UFC not immediately answering questions about the proposal.
Dana White reportedly turns down the offer
CNN reporters Kaitlan Collins and Isabelle D’Antonio reported that White declined the role. Their updated report, distributed through CNN Newsource, also said one aide described Trump’s offer as a joke.
That description came from an aide rather than a public clarification by Trump. The president’s own post presented the proposal as an offer and ended with a direct appeal for White to accept.
Trump also named six current or former UFC champions whom he suggested White bring as assistants. Reuters identified the athletes as Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison.
Those suggestions do not establish that the fighters were appointed or agreed to join the administration. The distinction is especially relevant because the post combined a proposed senior communications appointment with a list of combat-sports figures.
Earlier meeting report remains unconfirmed
TMZ reported, citing sources, that White was expected to discuss the offer with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday, November 9.
The National News Desk also described TMZ’s report while covering the president’s announcement. The later CNN account changes the status of the proposed job, but does not establish whether any separate meeting will still happen.
The Associated Press reported that Dana White was in London on Saturday for a boxing event. Its initial account said a UFC spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
AP also reported that White shared Trump’s post on Instagram alongside an image showing himself behind the White House briefing-room podium. The accompanying caption referred to a next chapter.
That social-media activity drew attention, but it was not an explicit public statement accepting the position. The subsequent source-based report of a rejection should be included in any current account of the offer.
A vacancy in the White House communications team
The proposal follows recent turnover in the press secretary’s office. Katie Zacharia left in October after serving only five days, following Karoline Leavitt’s departure in August, according to Scripps News.
The press secretary serves as the administration’s public spokesperson, briefs reporters and communicates the president’s agenda. The National News Desk noted that the position is usually held by someone with professional communications experience.
The discussion also follows Trump’s decision to promote Stephen Miller to chief of staff. Hourly Times has reported on Miller’s scheduled replacement of Susie Wiles on November 9.
The offer came days after Republicans lost their congressional majorities in the midterm elections. CNN described the search for a spokesperson as increasingly important as incoming Democrats promised investigations of the administration.
White and Trump have longstanding ties
Dana White has been a prominent public supporter of Trump. Front Office Sports reported that he introduced Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention and also spoke at the party’s 2016 and 2020 conventions.
Their business relationship reaches back to the early 2000s, when Trump’s Taj Mahal casino hosted UFC events, according to Reuters. More recently, the UFC staged its Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn in June.
Those ties explain why the offer attracted attention beyond Washington. They do not resolve the appointment question: the latest CNN reporting says White declined, and no acceptance should be inferred from the earlier meeting report or Instagram posts.
