No longer are the press secretaries going to hide behind bushes to avoid reporters. After Sean Spicer resigned from his post, claiming due to disagreeing with new communications director Anthony Scaramucci, a new one has been appointed: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.
In her recent press briefing, Huckabee-Sandershas demanded that all cameras be turned off, that there be no audio, and has given reporters subpar answers to their questions, according to the Washington Post. This was while she was still acting as Deputy Press Secretary to the White House - as the official secretary, the media can expect much more of these soundless, recordingless briefings. It's almost if the White House hopes that by not allowing recordings or video, reporters will be much slower on the uptake for their stories.
Joke's on you, White House. Reporters are so good at shorthand they've literally invented one to each their own.
In her audioless press briefing , Huckabee-Sanders spoke volumes of fallacies and was borderline brusque to the reporters asking questions, interrupting them and accusing them of starting media frenzies where there were actually none. Her reactions at the press conference continue the Trump tradition of unnecessary rudeness to the media, and hopefully do not solidify into a tradition for all presidential press secretaries.
Huckabee-Sanders' appointment has also continued the tradition of hiring figures for positions they are wholly unqualified for. In addition to her halting answers during her conference, the only political experience Huckabee-Sanders appears to have is through her parental lineage. While having serious, in-depth political experience can be argued as not completely necessary for the role, anyone that is hired for it should at least have enough to understand and answer reporters' questions about issues occurring in the white house.
Just as unqualified as Huckabee-Sanders is the new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci. The first and foremost term associated with his identity is financier - surely not an ideal term for someone whose role deals with communication. Throughout the years , Scaramucci has hosted a financial segment on Fox News, published several books on financial advisement, and has been a large investor in the company SkyBridge Capital. None of these ventures come close to being helpful as a communications director.
As a matter of fact, being misqualified seems to be a running trend in the Trump administration these days. What does tend to land people positions, however, is their relationship with the President and his family. (And how he got the position, there is no concrete telling.) Scaramucci is a very close friend of Donald Trump Jr. while Huckabee-Sanders' father served as an advisor to Trump himself.
Perhaps the next opening will be given to an intern in the White House's IT department. Or to one of Melania Trump's fashion designers. There is no minimum educaitonal qualification - simply pour all of your support into the Trumps and you are guaranteed a job of your choosing.