Wanting the UFC chief as press secretary was only a joke, President Trump clarifies

US President Donald Trump has clarified that his suggestion that UFC chief executive Dana White should become White House press secretary was only a joke. He had made the remark in a Truth Social post on Saturday, praising White as a "tough fighter", and the post set off wide debate on social media.

Within hours of the post, a source familiar with the matter said White had declined the idea. But speaking to reporters as he departed Florida on Sunday, Trump said "I was joking", pointing out that his post had described six UFC fighters as "assistants" - a hint, he said, that the whole thing was tongue-in-cheek.

Adding to the confusion, the Pentagon's former press secretary, who happens to share the name Dana W. White, received a flood of congratulatory messages. "You are reaching out to the wrong Dana White," she noted humorously on LinkedIn.

Meanwhile, the UFC's White had announced he would travel to Washington on Monday to meet the President; Trump said that meeting had been arranged for other reasons.