Associated Press/Evan Vucci
- White House press secretary has not held a press briefing in 72 days, during which she’s appeared on Fox News at least 12 times.
- Sanders is setting records. The length of time between briefings in the Sanders era is longer than any of the preceding 13 press secretaries, according to the American Presidency Project.
- The Trump administration has repeatedly exhibited a preference for Fox News over all other major news outlets.
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has not held a press briefing in over two months, even as she’s appeared on Fox News at least a dozen times.
It’s been 72 days since she last held a press conference, according to The Washington Post.
Indeed, Sanders is breaking records with her absence from the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
The length of time between briefings in the Sanders era is longer than any of the preceding 13 press secretaries, according to the American Presidency Project.
Sanders has been away from the briefing room for so long that some White House reporters recently observed that it’s gathering dust.
Meanwhile, Sanders has appeared on Fox News at least 12 times in the same period.
Sanders has had an antagonistic relationship with the press from the get-go, after she took over for Sean Spicer, and has often sparred with reporters challenging her on the facts or the administration’s narrative on various issues.
The White House press secretary also admitted to special counsel Robert Mueller that she made unfounded remarks to the press about former FBI Director James Comey after he was fired, a revelation that led some in the media to call for her to step down after it was made public via a redacted version of Mueller’s report into Russian election interference.
This all might help explain why she’s chosen to appear on Fox News, a network that overwhelmingly appeals to Republican voters, instead of engaging with reporters.
The White House has a close relationship with Fox, with former Trump administration employees being hired by the network and vice versa. President Donald Trump also routinely tweets in favor of Fox as he rails against other networks, or those he refers to as "Fake News," and has done a disproportionate number of interviews with Fox News or Fox Business.
With that said, Trump has recently shown uncharacteristic displeasure with Fox over town halls it’s hosted with 2020 Democratic candidates. It seems the president would prefer the network stick to interviewing him and those who work for him.
See Also:
- 9 reasons why Trump could win reelection in 2020
- Pelosi and Schumer were furious after a meeting with Trump about infrastructure turned out to be a setup for his fiery Rose Garden speech
- Trump torches Pelosi at a fiery surprise press conference in a brewing impeachment fight
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (John Haltiwanger)