Washington (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he had offered the post of White House spokesperson to Dana White, one of his close friends who heads the UFC, the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 21:56Modified on: 08/11/2026 - 01:29

After the appointment on Friday of his advisor Stephen Miller, a representative of the hard right, as White House chief of staff, the Republican president thus confirms his pugnacity displayed in the face of the future Democratic parliamentary majority, after the rout of his camp in the crucial mid-term elections on Tuesday.

Donald Trump made this announcement on his Truth Social network, specifying that Dana White, described as a "violent fighter and warrior", had not yet accepted this proposal.

The person concerned, after a fight he attended in London, declared that he was going "immediately" to Washington to meet the American president on Monday.

“I will have more to say after that,” he added to the journalists present.

Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday in June by hosting an MMA tournament at the White House, organized by the UFC.

The strategic position of White House spokesperson has been vacant since the ouster on October 16 of Katie Zacharia, fired after five days. This conservative commentator left a difficult impression during the only briefing she hosted and was accused of lying about her legal qualifications.

"Blackmail"

“Dana, please accept this job,” wrote Donald Trump, urging him to surround himself with deputies from the world of MMA, including two Russians and a Brazilian, “even if some are not from our country.”

“We need these people to defend us against the crazy left,” he added, referring to the Democratic opposition which won control of both houses of Congress.

Previously, Donald Trump had claimed on Truth Social to order his Justice Department to investigate Democrats' threats, described as "blackmail", to use their future majority to initiate impeachment proceedings against members of his government.

Democratic leaders have indicated that one of the priorities of the new majority in Congress from January would be to launch parliamentary investigations against Donald Trump, his government, and those close to him, whom they accuse in particular of corruption.

The Ministers of Defense, Pete Hegseth, or of Justice, Todd Blanche could be particularly targeted.

Dana White, shaved head and athletic figure, appeared on stage on November 6, 2024 during Donald Trump's speech for his victory in the presidential election as well as during his inauguration at the Republican convention in July 2024.

This conservative and masculinist figure, who describes Donald Trump as his "friend", has since joined the board of directors of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), symbol of the conservative turn taken by Mark Zuckerberg, fan of MMA.

If he accepts the position, Dana White, 57, will join Stephen Miller at the White House, who will take over as chief of staff on Monday in place of Susie Wiles. This Trump advisor is the architect of the Republican president's hard line on immigration and he is thus promoted to a highly strategic position: the "chief of staff" is a conductor of government action who filters the people or information reaching the president.

In an interview with CBS which will be broadcast on Sunday, Donald Trump foreshadowed other movements to come. “I like my cabinet (...) But I will perhaps make some changes,” he declared in an extract from this interview broadcast on Friday.

© 2026 AFP

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