Trump lawyer weighs in on White House press secretary job
Alina Habba, a top ally of President-elect Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that while she has been “flattered” by the calls for her to be the next White House press secretary, she has decided to turn down the high-profile role.
Since Trump’s historic election win, Habba’s name has been one of the few thrown around for the job. Habba has faced media firestorms when she has represented Trump during his legal battles.
“While I am flattered by the support and speculation, the role of Press Secretary is not a role I am considering. Although I love screaming from a podium I will be better served in other capacities. This [administration] is going to be epic! So proud of the Trump team, the latest appointments and 47!” Habba said on X.
‘Hire loyal and smart staff.’
Mediaite reported earlier this week that Habba was the front-runner to be press secretary and had meetings at Mar-a-Lago about the role.
“Donald Trump is the premier programmer and producer-in-chief; he casts for the on-air roles,” the source told Mediaite. “Alina is camera-ready and tested on day one. But more importantly she’s battle-tested after being in the front lines with POTUS the last four years.”
Axios reports other people being considered are Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt, former ESPN host Sage Steele, and CNN contributor Scott Jennings. A former George W. Bush appointee, Jennings has made a name for himself this election cycle being a cool-headed Trump defender often outnumbered by the liberal guests and hosts.
Top Trump campaign communications staffers Steven Cheung and Danielle Alvarez are vying to be White House communications director.
Sean Spicer, who was Trump’s first press secretary during his first term, offered advice to whoever will do his previous job.
“First, always have the most up-to-date information on what the president thinks on policy and personnel matters. Check in with him frequently, and double-check if you have to. He is his own best spokesman. Despite what staff may say, the decision is always his, and the exact words communicating a decision or announcement are critical,” Spicer wrote.
“Hire loyal and smart staff. There are only about a dozen staffers in the press office, so you can’t afford to have any dead weight or disloyal people on the team,” he added. “There will be countless attempts to write ‘process stories’ about feuding among staff, or young inexperienced people looking to cash in and write tell-all books. You can avoid that by hiring people who are dedicated and focused.”
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