WASHINGTON, Nov 9 — US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he was only joking when he offered the role of White House press secretary to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White earlier in the weekend.

“I was only kidding, but Dana loves the idea,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac of his namesake airport in Florida.

The press secretary role — traditionally one of the administration’s most visible positions — has been vacant since Katie Zacharia left on October 16 after less than a week on the job.

White, the 57-year-old president and CEO of UFC, and is a long-time friend of the president.