Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be the new White House press secretary
(White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, speaks during press briefing on May 11, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Sanders fielded questions about President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.Mark Wilson/Getty Images)Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been promoted to the position of White House press secretary, according to President Donald Trump's new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci.
The move comes just hours after former press secretary Sean Spicer announced his resignation, after telling Trump that he strongly disapproved of the decision to hire Scaramucci.
Sanders has gained prominence in recent months as she's taken on more public-facing duties on President Donald Trump's communications team in the wake of former communications director Mike Dubke's resignation in May.
Unlike many of the president's top aides, Sanders was bred in politics. She's the daughter of former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. She served as field director for her father's 2002 gubernatorial reelection campaign, was the national political director for his 2008 presidential campaign, and headed his 2016 presidential bid.
Following Huckabee's withdrawal from the Republican primary race in February 2016, Sanders signed on as a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, later becoming a frequent spokesperson. Since January, she's served as the principal deputy press secretary at the White House and, more recently, has shared press briefing responsibilities with Spicer.
More From Business Insider
- Sean Spicer once huddled near bushes to avoid answering questions about James Comey's firing
- Sean Spicer has resigned as White House press secretary
- New White House communications director Scaramucci called Trump a 'hack' and told him to 'bring it' in 2015
