Donald Trump is reportedly thinking about appointing conservative radio host Laura Ingraham to be his White House press secretary. The Fox News contributor “is under serious consideration” for the job, reports the Hill, citing “two sources with direct knowledge.” Best-selling author Ingraham, who began her career as a Supreme Court law clerk, was one of the biggest Trump supporters in the media and helped Trump prepare for the debates.
“With the possible exceptions of Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Breitbart, no media figure or outlet did more to promote Trump’s candidacy than Ingraham,” notes the Hill. Ingraham regularly used her appearances on Fox News, as well as her nationally syndicated radio show, to campaign for Trump.
Selecting Ingraham would mark a clear sign that Trump will continue to have a tense relationship with the Republican establishment. Ingraham has long been seen as a key reason why Rep. Dave Brat managed to beat then-House Majority Leader Eric Canto in a 2014 primary.
Ingraham has also been embroiled in a fair share of controversy. In May, for example, she said she didn’t consider Jews to be a minority. Talking about the Democratic primary, Ingraham said, “Well, now they’re saying, ‘How dare you, Bernie [Sanders]. How dare you stay in this race.’ Now, what if Bernie were a minority?” A few moments later, Ingraham corrected herself after somebody sent her a tweet: “Oh, OK, you’re reminding me. Bernie is a minority. He’s Jewish. OK. See I don’t think of Jewish people as minorities because they’re so successful and so. But, yeah, that’s technically correct so I appreciate that correction on our Twitter feed.”
Word that Ingraham is being considered for the job of White House press secretary comes amid speculation about who Trump will appoint to be part of his staff. The New York Times explains why there is so much riding on who the president-elect chooses:
Rarely in the history of the American presidency has the exercise of choosing people to fill jobs had such a far-reaching impact on the nature and priorities of an incoming administration. Unlike most new presidents, Mr. Trump comes into office with no elective-office experience, no coherent political agenda and no bulging binder of policy proposals. And he has left a trail of inflammatory, often contradictory, statements on issues from immigration and race to terrorism and geopolitics.
One of the key questions is who will be Trump’s chief of staff. Kellyanne Conway, who was Trump’s campaign manager, told reporters on Saturday that Trump’s choice for chief of staff was “imminent.” That decision could set the tone for the entire administration and illustrates the stark choices that Trump is facing. The Washington Post explains:
Does the president-elect install as White House chief of staff a broadly acceptable insider such as Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who was recommended by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.)? Or does he choose an antagonistic ideologue — perhaps Stephen K. Bannon, the Trump campaign chief executive who assailed the congressional leadership as chairman of Breitbart News?
