WASHiNGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, is to face reporters for the first time in the White House Briefing Room on Friday, something her predecessor never did during a nine-month stint as press secretary.
During past administrations, a White House press secretary holding a formal briefing would hardly be news, but it’s an oddity in the current administration, in which the media-obsessed Trump sees himself as his best spokesman, communications director and strategist.
Asked on Thursday if she was going to be taking the podium soon, McEnany quipped: “Never say never.” Later, White House social media director Dan Scavino tweeted that McEnany, Trump’s fourth press secretary, would take the podium Friday afternoon.
Trump shook up his communications team in early April. Stephanie Grisham, who had held the titles of press secretary and White House communications director since last June, was removed after never holding a formal press briefing. She rejoined the first lady’s office in a new role as Melania Trump’s chief of staff.
Grisham, who succeeded Sarah Sanders and Sean Spicer, was arguably the nation’s least visible press secretary in modern history. While she made occasional appearances on the Fox News Channel, she preferred to tape her interviews in a studio to avoid having to speak to reporters who gather on the White House driveway to interview officials after they appear on TV via cameras set up outside the executive mansion.
