Trump says he wants UFC chief Dana White for White House press secretary

US President Donald Trump ​on Saturday said he had 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. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday while ⁠in London ​after a boxing event, ⁠White said he would meet with Trump at the White House on Monday.

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. The White House press office already has a former UFC spokesperson ⁠in White House Director ⁠of Communications Steven Cheung, who worked for White's organization from 2013 to 2016.