Surprising Details From Sarah Huckabee Sanders' New Book

Before Kaleigh McEnany, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was White House press secretary, and she now has a much-anticipated book coming out next week. If you were hoping it would be a tell-all about the inner workings of the current administration, you might be disappointed. According to the select news sources given an early copy of the memoir, including NPR, Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House is more of an affirmation of her dedication to the Republican party and President Donald Trump. With lines like, "I didn't just love my job, I loved the president and most of the people I worked with," the book reads more like a fan letter to the Trump campaign. Many political pundits believe it's a precursor to a run for governor in Arkansas for the daughter of staunch Republican Mike Huckabee, who tried for a presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016 (via The Guardian).

The two years that Sanders held the position of White House press secretary were filled with controversy, including fighting with the press, lying to reporters about the FBI's support of James Comey, and completely eliminating the daily press briefings (via People and The New York Times). But instead of addressing those issues she paints a partisan view of her role that leaves the reader feeling as though she is a victim of the press and "the angriest Trump haters" in what she called "the raging battle between the president and the media."

Sanders talks extensively in her memoir about how difficult and humiliating it was to be mocked and ridiculed as a public figure. She specifically notes, "my character, my weight and appearance, even my fitness to be a mother" (via The New York Times). The pain she described, sitting through the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner when comedian Michelle Wolf made her the brunt of repeated jokes that not only mocked her appearance, but her integrity as a person was palpable. She wrote of the incident, "I debated walking out or perhaps even throwing my wineglass at her. But ultimately I stayed in my seat and held my head high" (via NPR). 

Closer to home, Sanders described feeling scared for her three children after an altercation with another mother that eventually led to her being the first White House press secretary to ever receive Secret Service protection. She candidly explained, "Being the White House press secretary for President Trump was a tough job. In the darkest moments I questioned how much more our family could endure and at what cost (via The New York Times)."

Probably the juiciest bit of gossip to come out of Sanders' book is when she details an incident when Trump said that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un "hit on" her at a summit in Singapore in June 2018 (via The Guardian). Apparently the authoritarian winked at Sanders at some point during the summit and she wrote that Trump gleefully announced, "Kim Jong-un hit on you! He did! He f***ing hit on you!" The joke, however, didn't end there. Sanders insists that she asked Trump to drop it stating, "Sir, please stop." Instead he doubled down stating, "Well, Sarah, that settles it. You're going to North Korea and taking one for the team! Your husband and kids will miss you, but you'll be a hero to your country (via People)!" As is the nature of the book, Sanders is quick to defend President Trump insisting it was all in good fun, describing how he "howled with laughter" at his own quip (via The Guardian).

There's absolutely no questioning Sanders' political leanings. Not only are her memoirs an homage to the outspoken president, but she chooses to take aim at his adversaries, specifically John Bolton, whom she described as "drunk on power (via NPR)." While both praising and supporting Trump, she also admits he "isn't perfect" and "isn't always easy." That's about as disparaging as her criticisms, if you can call them that get. Instead, she focuses on their continued friendship and the multiple promises he made to endorse her if she ever decides to run for office.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders appears to be a proud Republican who clearly has her sights set on a political career of her own, and her memoirs are both an endorsement for Trump for President in 2020, and a warning against voting for any other candidate. She vehemently urges, "A second term for President Trump would be better for all Americans than the Democratic alternative" (via The New York Times).