US President Donald Trump has asked mixed martial arts promoter Dana White to serve as White House press secretary and called on him to bring some fighters along as assistants "even though some are not from our country."
White, chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a "violent Fighter and Warrior," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump also asked for six current or former UFC titleholders to join White, including two athletes from Russia's Dagestan region, Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Americans Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier and "Kayla Harris," likely a reference to Kayla Harrison, and Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian native who became a US citizen last year.
"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," Trump wrote.
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White and UFC's parent company, TKO Group Holdings TKO.N, did not immediately return requests for comment. However, CNN reported White has declined the president's invitation.
The White House press secretary role has been vacant since Katie Zacharia's tenure ended last month after less than a week. Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the role at the end of August.
White and Trump first worked together in the early 2000s, when Trump's Taj Mahal casino hosted some UFC events. But they have become closer allies since the UFC chief publicly backed Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.
Trump in recent years has attended several UFC events, and in June the White House hosted a night of UFC fights as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Trump's invitation to White comes after the president named his trusted aide Stephen Miller as chief of staff, giving the architect of some of his toughest domestic policies one of the most powerful jobs in Washington after Republicans lost control of Congress.
Miller, who will replace Susie Wiles, assumes the role as the president prepares to confront a Democratic-led House of Representatives and Senate and a wave of congressional investigations into his administration.
A longtime proponent of expansive presidential authority, Miller steps in as the Republican Party's defeat in Wednesday's midterm elections could leave Trump more reliant on executive power to advance his domestic agenda.
In a social media post, Trump called Miller "one of my most trusted advisors," and he praised Wiles for doing "an outstanding job." Trump said the change would take effect on Monday.
A White House official said Miller’s appointment signals that Trump has no intention of rethinking his policies and instead is rewarding his most loyal aides.
