Trump jokes about making UFC chief White House press secretary - what is behind it?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief executive Dana White is due to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday, days after Trump jokingly suggested appointing him as the next White House press secretary.

Days after the Republican Party's record midterm defeat, Trump wrote on his social media platform that White is a 'tough fighter and a winner' who would bring top UFC fighters as 'helpers' against the 'Lunatic Left'. He later clarified: 'I said it as a joke; but Dana likes the idea.'

'I already have plenty of jobs; there is a meeting on Monday, and there will be more to talk about after that,' White said. The two sharing AI-generated memes online over the weekend intensified the speculation.

The press secretary post has been vacant since last month. Katie Zacharia resigned within five days of being appointed, amid criticism that she had presented herself as a licensed legal practitioner when she was not. Before her, Karoline Leavitt stepped down in August.

White began in Boston as an amateur boxer and gym operator; in 2001 he persuaded his casino-owner friends to buy the UFC for $2 million and became its head. After a roughly $21 billion merger with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2023 he became CEO; he is credited with turning mixed martial arts into a mainstream sport.

The Trump-White friendship is two decades old: UFC events have been held at Trump's Taj Mahal casino since 2001, White donated $1 million to the 2020 campaign, and Trump has praised him for helping reach young voters through influencers such as Joe Rogan and Theo Von.

There is criticism too: the 'UFC Freedom 250' event on the White House lawn, and Trump's purchase of up to $50,000 in shares in UFC's parent company TKO Holdings, have raised conflict-of-interest allegations. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly said: 'If he were not president, this would be funny; it is dangerous.'

In an amusing twist, many sent congratulations to a woman of the same name who was Pentagon press secretary in Trump's first term. 'You are contacting the wrong Dana White,' she wrote on a professional networking site.