Trump May Replace Sean Spicer With A Fox News Host

If you've gotten comfortable watching the White House press briefings as run by Press Secretary Sean Spicer ― as comfortable as one can be watching such things ― then there's a chance you'll be in for a surprise in the days or weeks to come. A report by Glenn Thrush and Maggie Haberman of The New York Times this week has revived some questions about the notoriously edgy press secretary's job security, and named a potential challenger for the gig. So, will Trump replace Spicer with a Fox News host? Or will he continue to ride it out with the man who he's praised for drawing "great ratings?"

It's impossible to say for sure just yet, especially given Trump's infamously mercurial nature. But it's clear that people in the administration are indicating to reporters that a change could be in the works. Spicer's deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, filled in for him a couple of times last week, adding fuel to the rumors.

But the name currently being floated isn't an internal promotion, but rather one of the president's go-to moves ― he's reportedly considered making Fox News' Kimberly Gulfoyle his new press secretary, plucking her out of her current job co-hosting The Five.

This would be far from the first time Trump's culled an member of his administration from the ranks of Fox News, undoubtedly the cable news channel that most caters to and promotes his administration, and reportedly one which he watches most voraciously. During the presidential transition, he appointed former Fox News contributor K.T. McFarland as deputy national security adviser, and also named contributor Monica Crowley to the National Security Council before a plagiarism scandal derailed her bid.

To be clear, there's no guarantee Trump will actually pull the plug on Spicer. Just last month, Trump reportedly said he wouldn't fire the high-profile, oft-mocked spokesman because "gets great ratings." That's not idle bragging or exaggeration on Trump's part, either ― Spicer's briefings, notorious for their awkwardness, combativeness, and a slew of false and misleading statements, have drawn more viewers that some daytime TV shows.

For her part, Guilfoyle's name was also floated during the transition in January, although nothing ultimately came from it. She's been working in TV since 2004, and joined Fox News in 2006, spending five years as a contributor before landing her co-hosting role on The Five in 2011.

She's never had a job in government, although she has a legal background as a prosecutor, and was the first lady of the city of San Francisco from 2004 through 2006. In short, it'd be a major career shift, although one she's clearly considered before — Guilfoyle, after all, was one of many familiar faces who visited Trump Tower during the presidential transition.