Sarah Sanders to Join Fox News as Contributor

Sarah Sanders to Join Fox News as Contributor
Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders seen here speaking during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)
Janita Kan
8/22/2019
Updated:
8/22/2019

Fox News announced on Aug. 22 that former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will join the network as a contributor.

The network said in a statement that Sanders will be providing political commentary and analysis across a number of Fox News programs and will make her debut on Fox & Friends during its next live audience show on Sept. 6.

“FOX News has been the number one news organization in the country for 17 years running and I am beyond proud to join their incredible stable of on-air contributors in providing political insights and analysis,” Sanders said in the statement.

She also announced it on Twitter on Aug. 22: “Excited to join @FoxNews as a contributor, looking forward to being with the @foxandfriends team for my first hit on September 6th.”

Sanders, who is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, served as President Donald Trump’s press secretary from July 2017 to June 2019. During an emotional speech following the resignation announcement, Sanders expressed appreciation for being able to serve the president and that she loved “every minute” of it.

“This has been the honor of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime,“ Sanders said. ”I couldn’t be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country and particularly to work for this president. He has accomplished so much in these two and a half years, and it’s truly been something I will treasure forever.”

President Donald Trump speaks about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders during an event on second chance hiring in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 13, 2019. Sanders is leaving her position at the end of the month. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders during an event on second chance hiring in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 13, 2019. Sanders is leaving her position at the end of the month. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“It’s one of the greatest jobs I could ever have. I’ve loved every minute. Even the hard minutes, I have loved it. I love the president. I love the team that I’ve had the opportunity to work for. The president is surrounded by some of the most incredible and most talented people you could ever imagine. And it’s truly the most special experience.”

Apart from returning to Arkansas, Sanders did not announce her post-White House plans, but her father told Fox’s “America’s Newsroom” at the time that his daughter would likely spend the next few months readjusting to life outside the nation’s capitol. Prior to becoming White House press secretary, Sanders served in numerous roles for senators, governors, and presidential campaigns including as field director for her father’s 2002 reelection campaign and was the national director for his 2008 presidential bid.

Sanders holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, according to the statement.

Sanders has taken a similar route to other former members of Trump’s White House communications team. In October 2018, former White House Communications Director and Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks also joined Fox Corporation as the company’s chief communications officer.