Some weekend headlines sound made up. This one was real, then sort of wasn’t, then ended with a polite no. Over roughly 48 hours, President Donald Trump said he had offered UFC CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary, walked it back as a joke, and then watched White decline it in person at the White House.
Here is how it unfolded, based on reporting from USA TODAY and The Associated Press.
Saturday: the “offer”
On Saturday, November 7, Trump announced in a Truth Social post that he had offered the press secretary job to White. White, who had been in London, said he was flying to Washington to meet with the president that same day.
White then posted a photo of himself standing at the White House podium, which sent the internet into overdrive. Then he went straight back to promoting UFC fights.
Sunday: “only kidding”
A day later, Trump said he had been “only kidding” about the offer, and described it as just a little fun, according to the AP.
Monday: White says no, in person
On Monday, November 9, White appeared alongside Trump at a White House news conference and turned the job down, saying he did not “want to be in politics.”
“The last 24 hours of my life have been insane,” White said.
Trump explained where the idea came from. “We were having a very bad press day,” he told reporters. “I said ‘I think I’m going to get Dana White to be our next press secretary.'” He added that he thought White would have been “fantastic” in the role.
Why the internet couldn’t look away
The story had everything that makes something go viral:
- An unlikely pairing. The head of the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion, behind the most formal podium in American politics.
- The photo. White’s podium picture was instantly meme-ready.
- The whiplash. An announcement, a retraction and a face-to-face rejection, all inside a long weekend.
The real backdrop
Behind the jokes is an actual vacancy. According to USA TODAY, the press secretary role has been open since Katie Zacharia left after only five days on the job in October. Zacharia followed Karoline Leavitt, who left the role in August after the birth of her second child.
The episode also comes in the wake of Republican losses in the midterm elections and what USA TODAY describes as Trump’s low approval ratings, which helps explain the “very bad press day” mood the president described.
Who is Dana White to Trump?
The two go back a long way. White is a longtime friend who has hosted Trump at UFC events over the years, including UFC’s Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn in June to celebrate the president’s birthday. He introduced Trump at a rally in Las Vegas in August and spoke at the 2016 and 2024 Republican National Conventions, introducing Trump at the latter.
About our photo
Our image is a historical public-domain photo of Socks, the cat who lived at the White House in the 1990s, standing on the briefing room podium. It felt like the right mood for a weekend when the podium became the internet’s favorite punchline.
Why it resonated beyond politics
Part of the appeal was that the story did not require anyone to take a side. Fans of the UFC, political junkies and people who simply enjoy an absurd headline could all share the same clip. In a news cycle dominated by election fallout, a lighthearted moment at the podium gave the internet a rare break, even if only for a weekend.
The bottom line
For now, the most famous job offer of the weekend is officially off the table, the press secretary job is still open, and Dana White is back to his day job. Whoever eventually takes the podium will have a hard time matching this weekend for attention.
Image: Photograph of Socks the Cat Standing on the Press Podium in the Press Room at the White House – DPLA – b43230131468abf8b366dbd1cc664f6c by President (1993-2001 : Clinton). White House Photograph Offi via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Mark 1.0
