Washington, Nov. 9 -- US President Donald Trump has clarified that he was "only kidding" after floating UFC CEO Dana White as a potential candidate to fill the vacant White House press secretary role, an announcement that inadvertently sparked a wave of social media confusion involving a former Pentagon official.

The press secretary position has remained vacant since the dismissal of Katie Zacharia in October, who was let go following a tumultuous debut press briefing. Zacharia had stepped into the role following the August departure of Karoline Leavitt, who served as the chief spokesperson for nineteen months before resigning to focus on her family.

"I will tell you, I was only kidding," the President told reporters, adding that he had...