WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Reporters at the White House were surprised at the end of the daily briefing last Friday (Oct 21) when actor and comedian Bill Murray strode into the room.

Reporters asked Murray if he was interested in running for president. He said he wasn't but that he could see himself in the Oval Office if he was appointed to a Cabinet position and then, in his words, "there was a bad bus accident".

But, like many who are asked that question, Murray hedged his bets by adding: "Ask me again in four years."

Murray was in Washington, DC to accept the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour at the Kennedy Centre on Sunday. He was at the White House on Friday to meet President Barack Obama, who meets all the recipients of the award.