So, the real-life episode of The Office continues. Just two days after Donald Trump jokingly offered him the role of press secretary in his administration, Dana White made a personal appearance at the White House. For the unversed, the President had taken to his Truth Social account to announce that the UFC CEO and several other fighters were welcome to join his cabinet.
However, just a day after the announcement, Trump clarified that the offer was made in a jovial spirit and that he was only joking. While he maintained that White would be a fantastic choice for the position, he insisted that there was nothing serious behind the proposal.
The UFC CEO had confirmed that he would meet Trump on November 9 after returning to the United States from the Zuffa Boxing 12 event in London. However, the President later clarified that White’s visit had nothing to do with the press secretary offer. According to Trump, the UFC boss was already planning to be in Washington and had simply decided to stop by and see him.
And that is exactly what White ended up doing. During the November 9 White House news conference alongside Trump, White officially turned down the prospect of becoming press secretary.
While admitting that he doesn’t say no to the President, the UFC CEO made it clear that he had no interest in entering politics at the moment. He said, “I don’t tell the president no to anything. I didn’t say no. Literally every media outlet was calling me, and I didn’t want to be disrespectful and say anything until he said something first.”
Dana White appeared at the White House press briefing podium Monday after President Trump said he had offered the UFC CEO the open press secretary role, only to reveal a day later that he “was kidding.”
“I have zero political aspirations,” White told reporters. https://t.co/6bq23p0XvK
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 9, 2026
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Trump then added to the bizarre nature of the situation by reiterating that he had been joking about the entire proposition. He said, “We were having a very bad press day, and I don’t know why, I thought of his name; he’s been a friend for a long time. I said I think I’m going to get Dana White to be my new press secretary. I said it to a group of the press, and that was it. I was sort of kidding.”
The President further explained, “Then they wrote the stories as though I wasn’t kidding, and then [Dana] was inundated and I was inundated. He was here anyway, and we thought we’d have a little fun and we brought Dana here. He would be fantastic.”
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White’s rejection then became the subject of another lighthearted exchange when Trump jokingly asked him whether he would leave “the ridiculous UFC” to accept the position in his administration. White responded, “Thank you for the offer, sir. I do not want to be in politics.”
Keeping the laughter-filled atmosphere going, Trump claimed he was “devastated” by White’s response before bringing the briefing to a close.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
