After working in the position since July 2017, Trump's White House press secretary is stepping down, the president tweeted on Thursday. Now, you may be wondering who will replace Sarah Sanders as Trump's press secretary. Though the White House has remained relatively quiet on the matter, some names have been floating around.
So far, the Associated Press reported, the White House has not officially announced any names for her replacement. Bustle has reached out to the White House for comment. In July 2018, however, Politico reported White House officials were mulling over "life after Sarah." The outlet noted that former State Department spokeswoman and ex-Fox News correspondent Heather Nauert could possibly take Sanders' place if she were to leave her post.
Reports of Sanders potentially stepping down from her role previously emerged in June 2018. That month, CBS This Morning reported that Sanders had reportedly told friends she was planning to leave the White House. However, she strongly disputed the report on Twitter.
"Does @CBSNews know something I don’t about my plans and my future?" Sanders tweeted that June. "I was at my daughter’s year-end Kindergarten event and they ran a story about my 'plans to leave the White House' without even talking to me. I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS."
So far, The Washington Examiner has pointed to potential successors like the current deputy secretary Hogan Gidley, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, and others. As Politico pointed out in 2018, other possibilities could also include Fox News reporter Bill Hemmer and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Affairs Tony Sayegh.
In total, Sanders' professional stint with Trump comes to an end after some three years. In 2016, Sanders joined the communications team on Trump's then-presidential nominee campaign. Prior to joining the communications staff, Sanders was a senior adviser for Trump's campaign, per The Hill. In an official statement released by the Trump campaign, she said that she joined Trump's team because he was a "champion of working families; not Washington-Wall Street elites.
For the time being, Trump is showering praise on Sanders, hinting at what her next moves could be. On Thursday, while speaking at the White House, Trump called her "magnificent" and "popular," according to ABC News.
"After [three and a half] years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas," Trump tweeted on Thursday. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas — she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!"
On Thursday, Sanders spoke at the White House about her upcoming departure, per ABC News. Calling her time with the Trump administration "an honor of a lifetime," Sanders said, "I couldn't be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country and particularly to work for this president. He has accomplished so much in these two and a half years."
"It's truly been something I'll treasure forever," Sanders said. "I loved every minute. Even the hard minutes."
