President Trump invited his “warrior” against the Fake News to take the podium at his first re-election campaign rally Tuesday night.
The crowd erupted with emotion when Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s long-serving defender against the press, took to the stage roughly an hour into a raucous campaign rally in Orlando, Florida. Sanders’ appearance came as a surprise to the crowd, which broke into chants of “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!”
Trump’s abrupt announcement Thursday that Sanders was resigning from the White House set off an immediate hunt for a replacement, as the liberal media celebrated the retirement of one of Trump’s fiercest advocates. Over the course of nearly two years, Sanders won the respect of many in Trump’s base for her combative, unflappable demeanor in dealing with a hostile press.
Surprise invitation
Trump surprised a crowd of supporters Tuesday night when he invited Sanders on stage at his massive campaign kick-off rally in Orlando. Trump praised Sanders as a “warrior” and again encouraged her to run for governor of Arkansas, a position formerly held by her father Mike Huckabee, as he had done when announcing her resignation last week.
“By the way, a woman who has been so good, so talented, so wonderful and we’re sort of going to be losing her,” Trump said as he invited Sanders on stage. “I feel she’ll be running for a certain gubernatorial position. Don’t worry, Ron,” Trump quipped to Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
Sanders took the podium and thanked the president to deafening chants of “Sarah.” After the crowd of roughly 20,000 quieted somewhat, Sanders said that working for Trump was the “honor of a lifetime” and predicted that Trump would win re-election. Sanders also tamped down on speculation about her political future, saying she would return home to Arkansas to spend time with her kids.
“He made America great again and continues to make America great,” she said. “He’s going to have an incredible six more years.”
“We are going to miss her. Thank you, Sarah. Incredible. A warrior,” Trump said.
“Warrior” leaves the White House
The news that Sanders was leaving the White House Thursday marked the close of a chapter in the Trump White House. To Republicans, Trump’s second and longest-serving press secretary was a resilient combatant in the fight against Fake News. Besides Trump himself, almost no figure in the Trump administration can be said to have sustained more attacks from the left than Sanders.
While winning the admiration of Republicans, Sanders became the face of Trump’s “authoritarian” presidency to the liberal #Resistance. Sanders was particularly criticized for ending the daily press briefing, a move that liberals said was an attempt to shut out the press. Sanders’ last press briefing was in March.
With less than a week having gone by since news of her resignation emerged, Sanders’ surprise appearance Tuesday brought star energy and plenty of emotion to Trump’s first official 2020 campaign rally. The outgoing press secretary also stumped for the president at a rally in April, when Trump joked that he would need to fire her because she was getting “too popular.”
Sanders’ departure has brought speculation that she may seek political office. No less than Trump himself encouraged her to follow in her father’s footsteps in a tweet announcing her departure from the White House Thursday. Sanders hasn’t written off the possibility, but she has said that she is going home to focus on her family.
Meanwhile, the race to replace Sanders has begun in earnest. Melania Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham, also known for her toughness in dealing with reporters, is said to be the top choice.
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