Trump offers UFC's Dana White the vacant press secretary job

Trump also wrote that he had asked White to bring UFC fighters as "assistants, even though some are not from our Country": Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harris. "We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," he added. The Press Association noted two of the fighters named were born in Russia.

White's answer: White, 57, posted an image on his Instagram story of himself behind the White House briefing room lectern with the caption "On to the next chapter," and shared a screenshot of Trump's post, according to the New York Post and MS NOW. CNBC and The Washington Post said it was unclear whether he was accepting or playing along. The New York Post said Trump's post, which came with pictures of UFC fighters and of White at a podium bearing the presidential seal, might have been tongue-in-cheek. The White House did not immediately confirm the offer to The Hill.

The ties: White is a longtime Trump ally. He worked with Trump to stage the "UFC Freedom 250" event on the White House South Lawn on June 14 for the nation's 250th anniversary, The Washington Post and New York Post reported. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung previously held a similar media role at the UFC before joining Trump. MS NOW, a left-leaning outlet, wrote that White does not appear to have professional experience that would qualify him for the role; the White House has not responded to that point.

Timeline: Katie Zacharia held her first and only briefing as press secretary on Oct. 13 and was out Oct. 16. Democrats won control of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterms. On Nov. 6 Trump named Stephen Miller chief of staff, and on Nov. 7 he posted the offer to White.

What's still unknown: Whether White has formally accepted, whether he would step away from running the UFC, whether any of the fighters Trump named would actually join the White House, and whether the offer is serious. Who briefs reporters in the meantime has not been announced.

The offer comes from President Trump's own Truth Social post. As of this writing, the White House had not confirmed the offer to The Hill or MS NOW, and White had not said publicly whether he accepted. His Instagram story showing him at the briefing room lectern could be read as acceptance or as a joke; CNBC and The Washington Post both said it was unclear, and the New York Post noted signs the offer might be tongue-in-cheek. The hero photo is a 2018 White House photo, not from this week.