Sarah Sanders leaving White House: Trump announces press secretary is quitting post

During her time as press secretary, Ms Sanders has been repeatedly criticised by some for her hostility towards the press and its function as a watchdog of the president

Donald Trump says that Sarah Huckabee Sanders leaving her post in the White House, and heading back to her home state of Arkansas.

In tweets, the president praised his outgoing press secretary, and said he hopes she runs for the governor’s mansion when she returns home.

“After 3 1/2 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,” Mr Trump wrote.

He continued: “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!”

Since taking over as Mr Trump’s second press secretary in July of 2017, Ms Sanders has become one of the most prominent faces of the Trump administration, and has reshaped the way the White House interacts with the press that covers it.

During her tenure, Ms Sanders essentially oversaw the cancellation of the daily White House press briefings, and was frequently criticised by the press for what has been perceived as a hostile approach to the White House press corps and media that covers the president.

According to CNN, which cited sources close to Ms Sanders, running for the governorship of Arkansas may be more than just an afterthought of the presidents.

Those sources indicated that Ms Sanders had talked about that effort in recent weeks, and said that she believes it would be a better career move than taking up a highly paid position in television, as other former Trump aides have done.

Ms Sanders would likely need to wait a couple of years, however, as the current governor of the state, Asa Hutchinson, recently won re-election just this past November.

The governor’s office will not be vacant until after the 2022 elections, then, unless Mr Hutchinson is appointed to a new job by the president — and accepts — or resigns.