The position had been left vacant following Karoline Leavitt’s departure on August 27, 2026, which the administration marked with an overwhelmingly positive public farewell.
In its official White House tribute, the administration celebrated Karoline as the 36th press secretary and the youngest person ever to hold the position. Officials praised her work defending the president’s America First agenda.
Donald described her as “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.” Whatever difficulties she may have experienced behind the briefing-room lectern, the administration’s public message presented her departure as a successful chapter.
Katie Zacharia, however, experienced a very different ending. According to the Times, she was pushed out on October 16, 2026, after serving for just five days. She had started that Monday without even relocating to Washington.
Donald had offered Katie the position the previous Friday. She was a relatively unfamiliar figure within the White House, an unpaid Fox News commentator who had attracted the president’s attention and enjoyed the support of influential West Wing aide Natalie Harp.
Her first briefing, held on Tuesday, October 13, left little opportunity to recover from an uncomfortable introduction. Katie depended heavily on prepared statements and stopped taking questions after just five and a half minutes.
Questions surrounding her legal qualifications soon became another major issue. Donald had introduced her as an attorney, but scrutiny intensified after attention turned to her having presented herself as a lawyer despite failing the bar examination.
During Friday’s appearance on “Fox and Friends,” Lawrence Jones asked whether she regretted not telling Donald that she had failed the bar exam.
Katie responded, “Well, Lawrence, those questions weren’t asked.”
The public confidence surrounding her appointment had sounded considerably different only days earlier. On Wednesday, White House communications director Steven Cheung had praised the positive reaction she was receiving throughout the building. He even predicted that, by the end of Donald’s second term, Katie would be remembered among the greats.
By Friday afternoon, however, Donald was describing a very different conversation.
As he crossed the South Lawn before departing for a midterm rally in Georgia, reporters asked him about Katie. He revealed that he had encouraged her to reconsider taking the position.
Three people familiar with the situation told the newspaper that Katie had been ousted. Donald suggested she could remain involved in a more pleasant capacity, while Steven later announced that she would transition into another position that would be identified at a later date.
Five working days, one brief appearance behind the podium, and an exit surrounded by intense scrutiny. That was the recent history of the position Donald was now inviting his longtime friend to take over.
Dana’s Response Suddenly Put Washington Within Reach
Against that background, CNN reported that a person familiar with the matter had said Dana declined the offer. At first, it appeared to be a straightforward conclusion to an unusually unconventional recruitment attempt.
Then Dana decided to speak for himself.
During an interview conducted on the same day and shared by MMA Crazy, a reporter brought up Donald’s public invitation and Dana’s acknowledgment of the offer on social media.
When asked about his reaction, Dana delivered an answer that sounded considerably more urgent than a polite expression of gratitude.
“I’m flying to Washington, D.C. right now. Yeah, straight after this. Yeah, right now.”
For someone reportedly turning down the opportunity, announcing an immediate trip to Washington was certainly an unexpected response.
The reporter then raised the practical issue surrounding the potential appointment. Dana already had an extremely demanding schedule overseeing the UFC. How could he possibly fit another major responsibility into his existing commitments?
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of jobs already,” Dana replied.
When the conversation turned to his discussions with Donald, Dana chose not to reveal the details of their private exchanges. However, he did provide a specific update about what would happen next.
“No. I’m going to meet with him. We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that. Watch this space, see what happens.”
Monday was November 9. Dana repeated that he was heading to Washington and suggested that he would have more information to share following the meeting, leaving the question of his next career move very much unanswered.
The White House Podium Picture Came With Five Loaded Words
While his interview was already creating speculation, Dana added another intriguing development through his Instagram Story.
He shared an edited graphic showing himself standing behind the lectern in the White House briefing room. Wearing a black blazer over a black T-shirt, Dana appeared in front of an American flag, with the words “THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON” visible in the background.
Below the image was a short caption that immediately attracted attention:
“On to the next chapter.”
Well, that was certainly an interesting image to share while everyone was trying to figure out his answer to Donald’s offer.
Rather than choosing an ordinary photograph, Dana placed himself directly inside the setting of the job he had just been invited to accept. The accompanying words also suggested that something new could be approaching in his professional life.
Of course, an edited photograph could not confirm an appointment, and the caption was certainly not a formal acceptance of the position. However, when considered alongside his announced trip to Washington and the scheduled meeting with Donald, the image made the possibility much harder to dismiss.
To understand why Donald might make such an extraordinary offer in the first place, it is worth looking back to a time when neither man could have imagined staging a UFC event on the grounds of the White House.
Donald Opened a Door When the UFC Desperately Needed One
Dana and Donald’s relationship began taking shape in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during a period when the future of the UFC looked considerably less promising than it does today.
According to ESPN, the promotion had been banned in 36 states when New Jersey regulators allowed it to hold its first sanctioned event at Donald’s Taj Mahal hotel and casino on November 17, 2000.
At UFC 28, Randy Couture returned to the organization for the first time since 1997 and reclaimed the heavyweight championship by defeating Kevin Randleman. Approximately 5,000 spectators attended the event, including Dana, who was present as the manager of fighter John Lewis.
He was accompanied by his friends Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, Las Vegas casino owners who had trained in jiu-jitsu under John. During their time together, the three discussed the possibility of building their own mixed martial arts promotion.
Three months later, Dana returned to the same property for UFC 30, this time carrying a new title: UFC president.
Donald had provided the organization with a venue at a time when numerous other locations wanted nothing to do with the controversial sport.
What followed was a friendship that would span approximately 25 years. Donald attended numerous UFC events, including four appearances while serving as president. Dana, meanwhile, introduced him at two Republican National Conventions.
On June 14, 2026, Donald’s 80th birthday, their relationship helped bring UFC Freedom 250 to the grounds of the White House.
Presidents had previously welcomed championship athletes and hosted amateur sporting events. However, staging a live professional fight card on White House property was something entirely unprecedented.
For Dana, the relationship was more than a professional alliance. Speaking to ESPN ahead of the historic event, he included Donald among a very small circle of just 10 friends.
“He is one of my very good friends,” Dana explained. “Me and this guy have been friends for 25 years and … our relationship gets stronger every year.”
That history gave Donald’s latest invitation a significance that went far beyond mentioning a celebrity in a presidential social media post.
Dana had repeatedly supported Donald publicly, while Donald had supported Dana’s business during a difficult period when the UFC needed someone willing to provide a venue for its events.
Behind the Republican Appearances, They Talked About “Rocky”
Their highly visible political alliance came with a surprisingly ordinary description of what their time together actually looked like.
During a 2025 interview with Jon Wertheim for CBS News, Dana explained that dinners with Donald were not necessarily dominated by politics or discussions about government.
“We talk about ‘Rocky’ movies. We talk about different fights that have happened,” he said.
The “60 Minutes” conversation also explored the perception that the UFC had chosen a particular political side.
Dana had attended Donald’s inauguration and was seated behind former presidents, an appearance that generated speculation about a possible interaction with Barack Obama.
Dana explained that Barack had turned around, shaken his hand, and congratulated him on his success. He remembered thanking the former president and said that any current or former president who wanted to attend a UFC event should always be treated with respect.
Nevertheless, Dana’s appearances at Republican National Conventions remained a highly visible demonstration of his loyalty to Donald Trump.
But Dana described that loyalty through the lens of a friendship that involved shared entertainment, conversations about sports, and everyday subjects, alongside the extraordinary political access that came with knowing the president.
He also made little effort to present himself as someone who carefully avoided confrontation.
When asked about people who considered him a bully, Dana showed little concern and offered a blunt explanation of how he approached relationships.
“Listen, if you want to be my friend, I’m the best friend you’ll ever have. You want to be my enemy? I’m really good at bein’ that too.”
Before Presidential Access, There Was a $2 Million Bet
The career that eventually made Dana such an unconventional candidate for a White House position began far away from Washington.
Born in Manchester, Connecticut, Dana spent much of his life in Las Vegas, Nevada. He boxed as an amateur and later developed gym programs that combined traditional boxing with aerobic exercise.
According to his IMDb biography, he attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, where he became friends with Lorenzo Fertitta.
The two reconnected at a wedding in 1995, an encounter that helped introduce Lorenzo to the emerging business opportunities surrounding mixed martial arts.
Dana subsequently managed several fighters, including Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, before moving into an executive role.
On January 9, 2001, Zuffa, the company owned by the Fertitta brothers, purchased the UFC for just $2 million. Dana received a 10 percent ownership stake and became the organization’s president.
Building the business into a successful organization required enormous financial investment and considerable patience.
Three years after the purchase, the promotion’s financial deficit had grown beyond $30 million. Its owners began looking toward television as a way to introduce the sport to a much larger audience.
They paid Spike TV $10 million for airtime for “The Ultimate Fighter,” which was produced during September and October 2004 before making its television debut in 2005.
The show’s first live finale featured Forrest Griffin against Stephan Bonnar. Griffin ultimately won by judges’ decision, and both fighters received UFC contracts.
Their memorable contest helped convince the network to renew the series and pay for the rights to subsequent seasons.
As the promotion continued growing, Dana’s public profile expanded alongside it. Interviews, heated face-offs, and his frequent appearances at major events gradually made him one of the most recognizable personalities in combat sports.
On July 11, 2016, Lorenzo confirmed the sale of the UFC, which valued the organization at $4 billion. WME-IMG acquired the majority ownership stake, while Dana remained president and retained a minority interest in the company.
He had helped transform a struggling $2 million acquisition into a multibillion-dollar global business.
That achievement also explains why the possibility of accepting a new position in Washington would raise serious questions about how he could divide his time between responsibilities he had spent decades building.
At Home, His Children Had Already Learned to Share Him
Beyond the cameras, fight promotions, and presidential invitations, there was also a family whose life had long revolved around Dana’s demanding professional schedule.
Dana and his wife, Anne White, had known each other since they were 12 years old. They began dating during their younger years and eventually married in 1996.
The couple welcomed their eldest son, Dana III, in 2001, followed by Aidan in 2002 and their daughter, Savannah, in 2006.
Long before a potential White House appointment became part of the conversation, their children had already learned that spending time outside with their father could sometimes mean sharing his attention with strangers.
In a 2009 interview with Yahoo Sports, Dana recalled how his sons had become familiar with the attention their father attracted in public.
People frequently approached him to request photographs, sometimes interrupting ordinary family activities. Even a trip to the movies could be disrupted by someone wanting a picture or a phone call that needed his attention.
Dana credited his family with handling the demands of his public life remarkably well.
His sons had started training when they were just three years old, initially learning boxing before moving on to Muay Thai.
However, Dana planned to wait until they turned 12 before introducing jiu-jitsu. As he explained, there was already enough fighting between the boys at home without adding submission holds to the mix.
Despite his enormous investment in combat sports, Dana never insisted that his children follow the same professional path.
When asked how he would react if one of them wanted to become a professional fighter at 18, he made it clear that their happiness would matter more to him than any particular career choice.
“My thing with my kids is, I want my kids to do something they absolutely love to do.”
He even imagined supporting a child who genuinely enjoyed working at a gas station. In his view, that passion could eventually lead to owning an entire chain of gas stations.
His final message was straightforward:
“And at the end of the day, it’s all about being happy.”
Now, Dana’s own potential career change has placed another very public question in front of the longtime family man and UFC boss.
He has pointed toward Monday’s meeting with Donald Trump as the next important moment, leaving the public waiting to discover whether his trip to Washington represents nothing more than a conversation between longtime friends or the beginning of an entirely new chapter.