MMA analyst Luke Thomas weighed in on reports that President Donald Trump floated UFC CEO Dana White as his next press secretary. In a recent video, Thomas called the prospect “absurd on its face” and likely nothing more than “a troll job.”
Thomas pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post mentioning White would bring athletes like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje to the White House.
Thomas noted, ” He’s going to bring I think it was like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje. I think he left off Colby Covington again, which is also kind of funny. ”
Despite TMZ reporting that White would meet with Trump on Monday to discuss the position, Thomas remained skeptical. He compared it to earlier media speculation about Nicki Minaj potentially becoming press secretary.
“It’s very Trump that it would be something like that,” Thomas said, describing the progression from pop singer to MMA promoter as fitting the administration’s celebrity-focused approach.
However, Thomas emphasized that even if the offer were genuine, the timing couldn’t be worse for White’s qualifications.
“Dana White used to be a very effective promoter,” Thomas explained. “But anybody who watches UFC at a beyond a casual level and I’m talking about people who watch press conferences…. He’s giving the worst press conferences of his entire career.”
Thomas cited multiple instances this year where White appeared unprepared at international events. “The local media is asking about like who are your favorite athletes on this card and what are you most looking forward to? And he can’t give them any kind of an answer. He doesn’t know anyone on the card,” Thomas said.
When faced with athlete complaints, White’s response has been to shut them up. Thomas stated, “Guys are complaining about this and guys are complaining about that… many times there’ll be justifiable complaints and his answer will literally be like literally shut the F up and just watch the matches.”
The analyst questioned White’s ability to handle substantive policy questions. “Can he really articulate the administration’s views, messaging and priorities around energy markets, around healthcare subsidies?” Thomas asked.
He contrasted White’s recent podcast circuit appearances, where he faced minimal pushback, with the scrutiny he would face as press secretary.
Thomas speculated that White might be seeking an exit from TKO. Thomas stated, “He seems to be very checked out from the UFC. Not so much from boxing. Certainly not from Power Slap, but definitely on the UFC side seems utterly checked out from it.”
Looking ahead, Thomas predicted Trump might attend the upcoming UFC event on November 14th at Madison Square Garden, traditionally one of the promotion’s premier dates. He noted that Trump previously attended UFC events for the positive reception, which “made Trump feel better” after difficult periods.
However, Thomas questioned what reception Trump would receive now. Thomas stated, “He’s lost a ton of support…Â I don’t think he’d get a warm reception.”
Regarding White’s prospects as press secretary, Thomas was blunt: “I cannot imagine something that would destroy what’s left of Dana White’s reputation faster than this. He’d get eaten alive and would be miscommunicating left and right or just saying nothing at all.”
Thomas acknowledged White has weathered previous controversies, including DVÂ incidents and antitrust lawsuits, but predicted the press secretary role would be different. “He would buzzsaw right through what’s left of holding that kind of idea about who he is together. It would be an epic collapse of extraordinary proportion.”
Despite his skepticism, Thomas concluded with a caveat: “For all those reasons, I don’t think it will. But it’s Trump, gang. It’s Trump. Anything could happen.”
