Two Danas White, One Confused Nomination
A naming mix-up prompted a former Pentagon spokesperson to clarify she is not the UFC executive President Trump jokingly appointed.
By Ella Cox ·
The White House press secretary position has historically served as the primary channel for executive communication. On Saturday, President Donald Trump named UFC president Dana White as his top choice for the role on Truth Social.
Trump posted, “Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” and urged the executive to accept the offer. He later stated on Sunday that he was “only kidding” about the appointment. The timing drew attention because the administration has placed figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Linda McMahon, and Pete Hegseth in high-level cabinet positions.
The confusion stemmed from a shared name. The UFC leader met with Trump on Monday and told reporters he does not want to enter politics. He noted that he does not tell the president “no” to anything, yet he preferred to stay out of the political arena.
Dana White, a former Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, clarified the distinction on LinkedIn on Sunday. She served as Chief Pentagon Spokesperson from April 2017 to December 31, 2018. She addressed the wave of congratulatory messages directly in her post.
The former official wrote that she had stood at a podium for the Pentagon press corps but had never stood in an octagon. She expressed a desire to keep it that way. She concluded by wishing the next White House press secretary good luck.
