The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has announced that he has offered the position of White House press secretary to Dana White, president and chief executive officer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The announcement, published this Saturday on his Truth Social platform, has generated confusion due to the existence of another Dana White, a woman who held the role of chief spokesperson for the Pentagon during the first Trump Administration.
“I am pleased to announce that the great Dana White, a fighter and warrior, has received an offer to serve as press secretary of the United States,” the president wrote in his post. Trump also suggested that the businessman bring in several UFC fighters as assistants, including Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison.
“We need these people to defend us from the insane left. Dana will be a press secretary like no other. Dana, accept the job!” the president added.
However, the proposal does not appear to have gone forward. According to CNN, citing a source familiar with the situation, the top person in charge of the UFC would have rejected the offer. A White House adviser told the same outlet that Trump was joking about the announcement.
White himself avoided confirming his decision when he was asked about the proposal during an appearance in London. The businessman pointed out that he planned to travel to Washington to meet with Trump on Monday and that he would offer more information after the meeting.
The two Dana Whites
The controversy has also focused on another person with the same name: Dana W. White, who was deputy assistant secretary of the Department of Defense for Public Affairs during the Trump Administration between 2017 and 2018.
This communications specialist served as the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson and adviser to the Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis. Before joining the U.S. government, she worked as a publicist for Fox News, at the Heritage Foundation, and as press secretary for the Republican Conference of the House of Representatives.
Her professional background has fueled speculation about a possible mix-up between the two people. He thought they were referring to UFC CEO Dana White, then went on to announce it on Truth Social, thinking it was his UFC friend, and nobody around him was willing to correct him.
The White House seeks a spokesperson after several exits
The announcement comes at a time of uncertainty about who will take over the spokesperson role for the U.S. Administration. Karoline Leavitt left the position at the end of August and her successor, Katie Zacharia, remained only five days in the role before leaving the presidential team.
The proposal to Dana White is thus set within the search for a new communications officer for the White House, although there is still no official confirmation that the businessman will assume that responsibility.