A joke or test? Why Trump floated UFC’s Dana White as his press secretary

For a brief period over the weekend, it looked like United States President Donald Trump had zeroed in on a new White House press secretary: Dana White.

Key points

• He has since campaigned for Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections, donating tens of thousands to his campaign.
• Born on July 28, 1969, in Manchester, Connecticut, White is a two-time college dropout and former boxer who turned a passion for fighting into a billion-dollar enterprise.
• "Knowing President Trump as I do, I believe he was partly serious, " Rob Arlett, a Republican strategist and former Delaware campaign manager for Trump, informed Al Jazeera.
• After the businessmen Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the business for $2m, he became president of the UFC in 2001.
• As he rallied on behalf of Trump's campaign, "It was basically considered a blood sport, " White informed the Republican National Convention in 2016.

Notably, a stocky former fighter with a shaved head and a penchant for wearing black, White at present serves as the chief executive of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts business that counts Trump among its fans.

After hours of speculation, Trump put an end to the rumours he himself began, but on Sunday night.

"I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea, " Trump remarked from an airport tarmac in West Palm Beach, Florida. "And there's only one Dana. He's great."

Just a day earlier, Trump had posted a message to his Truth Social platform, purporting to offer White the press secretary job.

"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 Saturday.

He proceeded to explain – in seemingly tongue-in-cheek style – that he had asked White to bring along fighters like Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov as "assistants".

Notably, the post was accompanied by images of the muscle-bound fighters, a number of of them baring their teeth.

"We need these individuals to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other, " Trump continued in his post. "Dana, please take the job!" Testing ideas in public?

Trump has a history of unconventional picks for public office. The press secretary role remains vacant after Trump briefly appointed political commentator Katie Zacharia to the job in October.

Zacharia lasted five days, the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary in history.

Critics questioned her legal credentials and her job performance. At her inaugural briefing, she struggled to deliver her opening remarks, and the session concluded within 15 minutes.

White would likewise have been an out-of-the-box choice to serve as press secretary. But political insiders say Trump has an affinity for pushing the envelope of what is acceptable in Washington, DC.

When Trump backed the UFC by hosting events at his Atlantic City casino, "He and Dana White share a longstanding friendship and business relationship dating back more than 25 years. Their mutual loyalty and trust remain solid."

Arlett believes Trump often floats ideas publicly to gauge reactions before deciding his next move.

It's additionally part of the president's strategy, he stated, to generate headlines, test public opinion and assess the response. Who is Dana White?

He is additionally one of Trump's longtime political supporters. In December 2015, White endorsed the Republican leader's bid for the presidency, even though Trump was considered a long shot at the time.

"You will never hear me say a negative thing about Donald Trump, " White informed TMZ Sports. "Donald will get my vote."

Trump went on to win the 2016 presidential election in his first successful bid for public office.

Notably, the two men's careers have been intertwined for decades, though. White began his career running gyms in cities like Boston and Las Vegas, and eventually, he began to manage champion fighters like Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.

It was the 1990s, and both men were competitors in a new competition circuit known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Meanwhile, the tournament was designed to bring different martial arts, like jujitsu and wrestling, together in one arena.

White would ultimately be credited with transforming the sport into an international commercial success.

But the sport was struggling at first, according to White's own account. Critics slammed its tournaments as too violent and unregulated.

As he rallied on behalf of Trump's campaign, "It was basically considered a blood sport, " White informed the Republican National Convention in 2016. "State athletic commissions didn't backing us. Arenas worldwide refused to host our events. Nobody took us seriously. Nobody – except Donald Trump."

During the first year of White's leadership at the UFC, Trump arranged to host the tournament at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He did so again the after year. White credits the move with helping the UFC gain mainstream acceptance.

"Donald was the first guy that recognised the potential that we saw in the UFC and encouraged us to build our business, " White remarked.

He has since campaigned for Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections, donating tens of thousands to his campaign. In 2020, for instance, White donated $1m to America First Action, a pro-Trump political action committee. A tale of two men.

Trump and White have continued to enjoy a close relationship since the Republican leader's return to office.

In June, Trump hosted a UFC tournament on the White House lawn as part of the festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence.

And over the weekend, White acknowledged he had intends to meet Trump in Washington, DC, on Monday.

"I'm flying to Washington, DC, right now, " White remarked to journalists at a news conference. Nevertheless, he appeared dismissive of the prospect of joining Trump's administration.

"I've got a lot of jobs already, " he quipped. As well as its president, since 2023, White has served as the CEO of the UFC.

White has no previous administration experience. But some experts say that might not be disqualifying under Trump's leadership.

"Trump likes to think outside the box and be the first to do something to stand out from the others, " Ihsan Alkhatib, a lawyer and political science professor at Murray State University in Kentucky, informed Al Jazeera.

"But the position requires a set of skills that Dana White doesn't have, " Alkhatib continued.

In practice, the lack of experience prompted some critics to question Trump's decision-making abilities when he first floated the idea of naming White as press secretary.

For now, a joke or test? Why Trump floated UFC's Dana White as his remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.