Sanders’ Departure Sparks White House Debate Over Bringing Back Press Briefings

on May 17, 2018 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders conducts the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House May 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. Sanders faced questi... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 17: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders conducts the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House May 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. Sanders faced questions about Michael Cohen, upcoming talks with North Korea, why the president called some immigrants non-people and animals and other inquiries. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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The White House is currently deciding whether or not to bring back the daily press briefings now that Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is stepping down at the end of the month, according to a Friday New York Times report.

Unnamed officials told the Times that staffers like acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney are pushing for the press briefings to be restored, believing that they’re a good way to shape the White House’s message. Additionally, they argue that it could be a tool to fight Trump’s Democratic challengers ahead of the 2020 election.

Other staffers reportedly say that it would be better for Trump to be his own messenger via Twitter.

In the meantime, Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley will fill in for Sanders until Trump finds a replacement. According to the Times, the President wants the next press secretary to be a woman.

The current spokeswoman for First Lady Melania Trump, Stephanie Grisham, is under consideration. Other possible candidates include State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus and Heather Nauert, who withdrew her name from consideration to be Trump’s U.N. ambassador in February.

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Notable Replies

  1. Give the ‘closer’s’ job to Gidley.

  2. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    The main requirement for White House Press Secretary is to be an inveterate liar. As such, the same problems that dogged Spicer and SHS (lack of credibility and ultimately respect from the press) will dog the next lying liar. It would be ridiculous to expect a different outcome. So who’s next in wanting to throw their career away?

  3. they “shape” their message through the murdoc enterprises where the face the least challenges…they only use the briefings to blame the press for never ending bad coverage of this shit show…

  4. I think the press should stop covering everything Trump says, and only report what he actually does. The man is an attention-seeking, narcissistic troll. 99.9% of what he threatens to do never comes to fruition. And yes, I realize he is POTUS.

  5. Exactly! No matter who fills the role, at the end of the day, all they’re going to do is lie continuously to the American people.

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