As White House press secretary since July 2017, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is responsible
for briefing members of the press and answering probing questions about the Trump administration.
On more than a few occasions, Sanders has found herself in the spotlight as the subject
of much public and media scrutiny, and she's also become known for testy interactions with
the press.
So, what's the story behind Donald Trump's lady of the lectern?
"I think you guys are jumping and trying to make something out of nothing."
Sexist shade
The day after Trump's 2018 State of the Union Address, Sanders made some comments on CNN
about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who sat mostly straight-faced throughout the
address.
"I think Nancy Pelosi looks like that all the time.
I think she should smile a lot more often.
I think the country would be better for it."
According to the New York Daily News, many criticized those comments for perceived misogynistic
undertones.
Suggesting women should "smile more" didn't sit well with viewers, particularly in the
wake of the "Me Too" movement.
Vogue also pointed out the irony of the situation, sassily taking into account the Press Secretary's,
quote, "infamous perma-grimace."
"It's like, it's like, c'mon man!"
Political ties
As the daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sanders has deep familial ties
to politics.
According to Newsweek, she was closely involved in her father's career growing up.
She told The Hill in 2010,
"I was stuffing envelopes, I was knocking on doors, I was putting up yard signs.
[…] I'm absolutely my dad's biggest fan, and anything he wanted to do, I wanted to
be a part of."
Sanders was an adviser on her father's 2008 presidential campaign, and in 2015, she stepped
in as campaign manager during his second bid for president on the Republican ticket.
When he dropped out, she eventually joined the Trump campaign as a senior adviser.
"I'm sorry…
I'm not finished."
Letters from children
Sanders has relied on children a number of times to get her message across — and has
faced a lot of criticism for doing so.
At a July 2017 press briefing, she read a letter written to President Trump by a child
who called himself "Pickle" that said,
"I'm 9 years old and you are my favorite president.
I like you so much I had a birthday about you.
My cake was the shape of your hat."
As The New York Times reported,
"Reporters called it a transparent attempt to distract from numerous scandals roiling
the White House."
In August 2017, Sanders again used a story from a child for political gain when she opened
a press briefing by reading a letter from a then-10-year-old named "Frank," who wrote:
"It would be my honor to mow the White House lawn for some weekend for you.
Even though I'm only 10 I'd like to show the nation what young people like me are ready
for."
According to The Hill, Sanders attempted to connect the boy's letter to Trump's immigration
proposals.
Face-off
Sanders appeared with her father on The View in September 2017, and, not surprisingly,
she was met with several differing opinions from the show's hosts.
"Is the media not supposed to report on the fact that 95 percent of what [Trump] says
is a lie?"
"I feel for you!
I feel sorry for you that you have to go out and defend those lies every day."
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg also pressed Sanders about Trump's infamous "birther" claims.
"Where was President Obama born and is he an American citizen?"
"Well, I think that has been pretty well addressed."
"That's a narrative that went on forever, and really clear it up until after he was
in office."
At one point, Goldberg suggested that based on some of his recent actions as President,
Trump hasn't done himself much good.
Sanders tried to put her best spin on a response… but it didn't go over too well with the audience.
"He's not looking to better himself, he's doing things that will better the American
people by making government…"
… whoa, what a spin!"
Hillary heat
Sanders took a swipe at Hillary Clinton at a press briefing in September 2017 while discussing
Clinton's book What Happened, which narrates Clinton's experiences during her 2016 presidential
campaign.
"Hillary Clinton ran one of the most negative campaigns in history and lost, and the last
chapter of her public life is now going to be defined by propping up book sales with
false and reckless attacks"
The next day, Clinton appeared on The View to discuss her book, and Sanders' comments
came up in conversation.
"What is your response to that?
You know I honestly don't pay much attention to what she says."
"Let's not take all these important issues that we're facing and try to put them into
the alternative reality world of alternate facts."
Twitter rules
In January 2018, Sanders stirred things up when she used the official Press Secretary
Twitter account to tweet a complaint about her son ordering a batman toy from Amazon,
writing: "Alexa, we have a problem if my 2 year old can order a Batman toy by yelling
"Batman!" over and over again into the Echo."
Former White House Ethics Chief Walter Shaub quickly stepped in to remind Sanders that
there are specific guidelines for what White House staffers can use official accounts to
discuss — and botched Amazon orders aren't among them.
Shaub tweeted, "I know this [White House]'s ethics office is next to useless, so here's
a rule of thumb [...] Avoid discussing purchases from private companies on your government
account.
[...] Employees throughout government look to you to set an example because tone from
the top matters.
Do better."
"I'd have to check on that and get back to you."
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