Donald Trump says he was 'kidding' about Dana White press secretary offer

US President Donald Trump has clarified that he "was kidding" about asking Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White to take over as the White House press secretary, following widespread attention sparked by his social media post over the weekend.

The remarks came after the president posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday stating that he had offered the role to White, writing that White would be a press secretary unlike any other. The job offer followed a heavy loss for the Republican Party in the midterm elections, which resulted in the party losing its majority in both houses of Congress in Washington DC.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

In that same social media post, Trump added that he had asked White to bring along several current and former mixed martial arts fighters to act as assistants to defend against political opponents. White stated later that same day that he was scheduled to meet the president on Monday, though he declined to comment on whether he would accept the vacant position.

By Sunday, Trump told reporters that White was visiting him on Monday for "other reasons," adding that the initial announcement was simply a little bit of fun. The press secretary role remains unoccupied following the departure of Katie Zacharia in October, who stepped down after holding the position for less than five days, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in US history.