Sean Spicer left hanging as Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle confirms talks over his job
This is probably not the headline Sean Spicer wanted to read today.
This is probably not the headline Sean Spicer wanted to read today.
After reports surfaced that President Donald Trump is considering a broad shake-up of his communications team, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle confirmed to the Mercury News that she is in fact speaking to the administration about taking Spicer's job as White House press secretary.
"I'm a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country," Guilfoyle told the newspaper. "I think it'd be a fascinating job, it's a challenging job, and you need someone really determined and focused, a great communicator in there with deep knowledge to be able to handle that position."
The discussion about replacing Spicer came after a mad scramble by Trump's communications team to manage the fallout following the decision to fire FBI Director James Comey last week. Trump reportedly only informed Spicer of the decision an hour before he announced it publicly, leading to a widely-mocked moment where Spicer hid "among the bushes" as reporters sought answers about Comey's firing.
Sources also told the New York Times that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has lost his patience with Spicer, and lashed out at the embattled press secretary in a meeting on Monday.
Guilfoyle herself has questioned Trump's communications team on her Fox News show, The Five, noting there was room for improvement with the "roll-out" of recent events, including Comey's firing and the president's embattled travel ban.
"If you want to be successful and do communications with President Trump, you have to be someone who he actually wants to spend a little bit of time with," Guilfoyle said on a recent show. "It has to be somebody with a very close relationship, where there's trust there, there's inherent loyalty, someone who's been there from the beginning."
Guilfoyle told the Mercury News that she has that type of relationship with Trump, whom she first met at a charity event when she moved to New York back in 2004. She also called Spicer a "nice man and a patriot" who is in a very tough position.
"I wish him the best," Guilfoyle said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Fox News indicated that Guilfoyle is under a long term contract with the network.
"As I stated in the interview, I really love what I do and my job co-hosting The Five is tough to beat," Guilfoyle said through a spokesperson.
Guilfoyle isn't the first Fox News personality Trump has sought to bring into his administration. Her co-host on The Five, Eric Bolling, turned down a potential job with the Department of Commerce, while Fox & Friends anchor Heather Nauert was hired to be the spokeswoman for the Department of State.
Fox News contributor KT McFarland also accepted a position in Trump's administration as Deputy National Security advisor, but was replaced after just two months on the job by Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Ricky Waddell.
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