Trump Shakes Up Press Team As White House Deals With Virus

April 8, 2020by Zeke Miller and Jill Colvin, Associated Press
Trump Shakes Up Press Team As White House Deals With Virus
FILE- In this Oct. 3, 2019 file photo, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham listens as President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Grisham is leaving her post after never holding a single press briefing. Grisham will be assuming a new role as chief of staff to first lady Melania Trump. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump shook up his communications team on Tuesday, replacing his press secretary and adding new staffers as he grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

Stephanie Grisham, who had held the titles of press secretary and White House communications director since last June, is out after never holding a formal press briefing. She will be rejoining the first lady’s office in a new role as Melania Trumps’s chief of staff.

Kayleigh McEnany, a top Trump campaign spokeswoman, will take over as Trump’s fourth press secretary. Also heading to the White House: Pentagon spokeswoman Alyssa Farah. She will lead strategic communications, according to a senior administration official familiar with the moves who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decisions had not been formally announced.

The shakeup comes as the president is facing the biggest crisis of his administration, with the coronavirus spreading across the country. The virus has killed more than 12,000 people in the U.S. and fundamentally transformed American life while plunging the economy into what is expected to be a major recession.

Grisham, who succeeded Sarah Sanders and Sean Spicer, was arguably the nation’s least visible press secretary in modern history, having never held a press briefing during her nine months on the job. While she made occasional appearances on the Fox News Channel, she preferred to tape her interviews in a studio to avoid having to speak to reporters who gather on the White House driveway to interview officials after they appear on TV via cameras set up outside the executive mansion.

Her departure was not a surprise. Grisham had been largely sidelined since the start of the pandemic, with the press team for Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the coronavirus task force, taking the lead. In addition, Mark Meadows, the president’s new chief of staff, has been working to bring on his own team, including senior adviser Ben Williamson.

The role of press secretary has been a particularly challenging one under the media-obsessed Trump, who believes himself to be his best spokesman, communications director and strategist, and demands absolute loyalty.

Over the last several weeks, Trump has revived the tradition of the daily press briefing, personally taking the stage in the White House briefing room to try to put a positive spin on the federal government’s response to the pandemic.

Trump has a highly volatile relationship with the press, slamming unflattering stories as “fake news” while closely following his coverage. Briefings earlier in the administration often turned combative, especially under Spicer. He began his tenure with a much-panned briefing in which he claimed the president’s inauguration crowds had been the largest ever, which was untrue.

McEnany was already a regular defender of the president on television. Farah has deep ties to the White House, having served as press secretary to Pence and as Meadows’ communications director.

Grisham’s new role was announced Tuesday by Mrs. Trump. The first lady said Lindsay Reynolds, her chief of staff for the past three years, had resigned to spend more time with her family.

Grisham, who had said in a statement that she would remain in the West Wing “to help with a smooth transition for as long as needed,” tweeted her thanks to Trump on Tuesday evening “for the honor of a lifetime.”

Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, said Grisham’s return to the East Wing shows her close ties to Mrs. Trump. McBride recalled that it was the first lady, and not the president, who announced last year that Grisham would become the White House press secretary.

“It will be an easy transition for Stephanie,” McBride said. She added that Grisham “knows how Mrs. Trump likes things done. They’re clearly very close.”

But Lis Power of the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America said Trump was “replacing a White House press secretary who did little more than appear on Fox News and other right-wing media outlets, with a person who is best known for her sycophantic pro-Trump media appearances.”

“We should expect Kayleigh McEnany to follow the lead of her predecessors,” Power said.

___

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

A+
a-
  • pres secretary
  • Stephanie Grisham
  • White House
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    In The News

    US Changes How it Categorizes People by Race and Ethnicity. It's the First Revision in 27 Years

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and... Read More

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Vice President Harris Rolls Out First Government-Wide Policy to Mitigate AI Risks

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence while still enabling its use to advance the public interest. The new policy, which is being issued through the White House... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by TWN Staff
    Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    One-Time Treatment Could Revitalize Immune Systems in the Elderly

    PALO ALTO, Calif. — A new study suggests that a one-time treatment that modulates the composition of a type of... Read More

    PALO ALTO, Calif. — A new study suggests that a one-time treatment that modulates the composition of a type of immune cell could potentially revitalize the immune systems of the elderly, helping their bodies better react to viral and bacterial threats. The research was carried out... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Insurers to Expand Access to ‘Navigation Services’ for Cancer Patients

    WASHINGTON — Seven of the nation’s largest health insurance companies are expanding access to so-called “navigation services” to help patients... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Seven of the nation’s largest health insurance companies are expanding access to so-called “navigation services” to help patients and their families navigate the myriad challenges that might arise during treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses. The insurers involved are Aetna; Blue Cross Blue... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    New Dem Chair Kuster Announces Retirement Following 2024 Election

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition... Read More

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the House, revealed Wednesday that she will not seek reelection to Congress this year. In a lengthy statement released by her office, Kuster gives no... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top