NO LIE
Trump’s new press secretary Kayleigh McEnany promises to ‘never lie’ in first White House briefing since March 2019
PRESIDENT Trump's new White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said that she "will never lie" in the first formal White House briefing in over a year.
McEnany, who took to the podium today, took over the job last month after being spokeswoman for Trump’s re-election campaign.
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McEnany's first appearance was extremely well received, with former press secretary Sean Spicer praising her on Twitter for her "great debut".
White House social media director Dan Scavino made the announcement late Thursday night when he tweeted that McEnany, Trump's fourth press secretary, would take the podium today- the first since March 2019.
The press secretary’s formal podium briefing was an integral part of communications strategy across several administrations.
But former Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders discontinued the practice in March of last year, and her successor, Stephanie Grisham, did not resume them.
Grisham was removed from her position after never holding a formal press briefing. She has since rejoined the first lady's office in a new role as Melania Trump's chief of staff.
She has been described as the nation's least visible press secretary in modern history, only making occasional appearances on the Fox News Channel, and preferring to tape her interviews in a studio to avoid having to speak to reporters.
The White House had sought to replace the briefings with other events.
Trump has spoken regularly from the podium during the coronavirus pandemic and often holds court in the Oval Office or on the South Lawn.
Aides regularly speak to reporters outside the press briefing room or even just offstage, and Sanders occasionally answered questions in the White House driveway.
The news is an oddity in the current administration, in which the media-obsessed Trump sees himself as his best spokesman, communications director, and strategist.
Trump’s political team has recently urged him to , arguing that the freewheeling combative sessions were costing him in the polls, particularly among seniors.
After a disastrous press briefing last week, where Trump drew sharp criticism for raising the idea that Americans might get virus protection by injecting disinfectants, aides encouraged him to stay out of medical issues and direct his focus toward the economy.
McEnany, a Harvard Law School graduate and former commentator on CNN, came to the White House after the arrival of Mark Meadows, Trump’s new chief of staff, who has made several personnel changes.
MOST READ IN NEWS
In other news from the Trump administration, the president mocked Biden early last week, his presumptive general election rival, for being “stuck in his basement” in his Delaware home during the pandemic.
“We have a sleepy guy in the basement of the house that the press is giving the free pass to who doesn’t want to do debates because of COVID,” Trump said last week.
“We’ve done a good job and gotten very little credit for the good job that we’ve done because of the media,” he continued, insinuating that reporters give Biden favorable treatment.
And Biden's former staff assistant Tara Reade accusing him of attacking her in the Senate corridor in 1993.
Biden has , but acknowledged the complaint and promised to “be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future.”
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Trump Press Sec Kayleigh McEnany disputes report quoting CDC Director’s warning of second coronavirus wave
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