Sanders exiting White House, heading home to Arkansas; Trump urges run for governor

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a daily press briefing in July. Sanders sometimes clashed with reporters and the briefings became few and far between.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a daily press briefing in July. Sanders sometimes clashed with reporters and the briefings became few and far between.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is returning to Arkansas; she'll soon be running for office, if her boss has his way.

President Donald Trump announced the Little Rock native's departure Thursday afternoon on Twitter.

"After 3½ 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," the New York Republican tweeted. "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!"

Sanders, 36, met with the president Thursday morning and discussed the decision. (Sanders has worked for Trump about 3½ years; she's been in the White House 2½ years.)

Thursday afternoon, she retweeted Trump's initial announcement, adding, "I am blessed and forever grateful to @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he's accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I'll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it's time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President!"

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Later, addressing advocates of work programs for former inmates, Trump spoke about Sanders' contributions to the administration, calling her "a friend, a woman, a great, great magnificent person."

"She's very popular. She's very popular and she's done an incredible job," he said, sparking applause. "We've been through a lot together, and she's tough but she's good."

Noting her roots, Trump said, "She comes from a great state, Arkansas. That was a state I won by a lot, so I like it, right?" he said, drawing laughter. "But we love Arkansas, and she's going to be going back to Arkansas with her great family -- her husband, who's a fantastic guy, and her family."

Before calling her forward to speak, Trump suggested Sanders' political career is far from over.

"If we can get her to run for the governor of Arkansas, I think she'll do very well. And I'm trying to get her to do that," he said, again drawing applause.

Addressing the crowd, Sanders didn't say whether she wants to run for governor; it won't appear on the ballot until 2022. She called her time at the White House "the honor of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime."

"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 2½ years, and it's truly been something I will treasure forever. It's one of the greatest jobs I could ever have. I've loved every minute. Even the hard minutes, I have loved it," she said. "I love the president. I love the team that I've had the opportunity to work for. The president is surrounded by some of the most incredible and most talented people you could ever imagine. And it's truly the most special experience. The only one I can think of that might top it just a little bit is the fact that I'm a mom. I have three amazing kids, and I'm going to spend a little more time with them."

Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, is married to political consultant Bryan Sanders. The couple have three children: Scarlett (7 years old); Huck (5) and George (4). The family lived in her hometown before she started work in the White House.

A longtime political operative, she managed her father's short-lived 2016 presidential campaign; he dropped out of the race after finishing ninth in the Iowa Republican caucus.

Days later, Sanders went to work for Trump, defending him on cable television programs and in other venues from February 2016 until the November victory.

An early presidential hire, Sanders arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. at the dawn of the Trump administration -- Jan. 20, 2017.

She served initially as principal deputy press secretary, but was promoted on July 26, 2017, after the departure of her predecessor, Sean Spicer.

She held the job for nearly two years.

Once there, she helped attract other Arkansans to the West Wing. Hogan Gidley, who grew up in El Dorado, is now principal deputy press secretary. Judd Deere, originally from Benton, is now deputy press secretary.

Initially, Sanders was a regular presence on cable television news channels; her daily press briefings were often broadcast live on CNN and Fox News. But she scaled back the daily appearances as time progressed.

Eventually, they all but ended. During her tenure, she vigorously defended Trump's policies.

On Jan. 22, Trump tweeted an explanation for the move, telling followers: "The reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the 'podium' much anymore is that the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press. I told her not to bother, the word gets out anyway! Most will never cover us fairly & hence, the term, Fake News!"

Critics say Trump has used the "fake news" label to disparage stories regardless of their truthfulness.

After the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Sanders defended the move, telling reporters that rank-and-file bureau employees had lost confidence in Comey's leadership.

"I've heard from countless members of the FBI that are grateful and thankful for the president's decision," she said. "I'm sure that there are some people that are disappointed, but I've certainly heard from a large number of individuals -- and that's just myself -- and I don't even know that many people in the FBI."

Questioned as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential presidential obstruction of justice, Sanders backtracked from the claims, according to the report produced by special counsel Robert Mueller.

"Sanders told this Office [of Special Counsel] that her reference to hearing from 'countless members of the FBI' was a 'slip of the tongue,'" the report stated. "She also recalled that her statement in a separate press interview that rank-and-file FBI agents had lost confidence in Comey was a comment she made 'in the heat of the moment' that was not founded on anything."

After the report's release, Sanders defended her earlier statements about Comey, insisting that the gist of her comments had been accurate.

During her time as press secretary, Sanders sometimes clashed with reporters, singling out CNN and The New York Times, in particular, for criticism.

Thursday, The New York Times' chief television critic James Poniewozik poked fun at the outgoing press secretary's credibility, tweeting, "I'm not going to believe that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving as White House press secretary until she denies it herself."

Sanders' father tweeted too, writing: "Well, @realDonaldTrump is losing @PressSec who is a great one and I say that with as much objectivity as Fake News CNN has toward @POTUS."

In a text message to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, former Arkansas first lady Janet Huckabee also reacted positively to the announcement.

"I am very proud of my daughter and her service to the president of the United States. I wish her the very best in her next adventure and a happy return to Arkansas for her family."

Sanders is expected to return to Arkansas the first week in August.

Deere, who rose in the White House ranks during Sanders' tenure, expressed admiration for the outgoing press secretary during a phone conversation with the Democrat-Gazette.

"She's a very humble leader who sincerely cares for everyone around her. As the press secretary for the president of the United States, it's been her job to communicate on his behalf and she's done that with grace," he said.

Arkansas Republicans, meanwhile, look forward to welcoming Sanders home.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who selected Sanders to run his first Senate bid in 2010, heard the news at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport while awaiting a flight back to Northwest Arkansas.

Before taking off, he offered his congratulations via Twitter.

Sanders "always had limitless potential & works incredibly hard," he wrote. "Arkansas is proud of her devoted service to our nation."

Back in Arkansas, political observers were mulling the possibility of a Sanders election bid in 2022.

In a tweet, Skip Rutherford, dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, said: "If President Trump's encouragement for Sarah Huckabee Sanders to run for Governor of Arkansas is as effective as his encouragement for people to buy Tom Cotton's book, Arkansas politics just got very interesting."

In an interview, Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Michael John Gray said Sanders would likely be a top-tier candidate for her party's nomination if she runs.

"With her name recognition ... she'd be right there in the mix," he said. "I think she'd be a force in the Republican primary."

Handicapping the opposition's gubernatorial primary isn't one of his top priorities, he suggested.

"We're concentrating on getting the best Democratic nominee to put up for the state of Arkansas. We'll be ready to go up against whoever the Republican is," he added.

A Section on 06/14/2019

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