David and John Mark—you made me tough. Without you teasing me our entire childhood I might not have survived my first White House press briefing. John Mark, you are our family’s most gifted writer—I hope this book does our family justice. You are the most thoughtful uncle who gives the best gifts, even if they’re the ones that make the most noise! David, not only do you make everything fun, you are so giving of yourself and will do anything for anyone. So glad you have always been in my corner.
Lauren and Virginia—I always wanted a sister and now I have the two best I could ever ask for. You were both worth the wait! Lauren, as one of my best friends you know everything about me and love me anyway. We have laughed and cried our way through life’s biggest moments together and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side for any of it. Virginia, you love so passionately. Whether it’s your students or your family, you pour everything into the people in your life.
David S.—we may not agree on much, but we disagree without being disagreeable about it. You are so dedicated to your work and even though I don’t understand anything about neuroscience my instincts tell me you are going to make big discoveries that help a lot of people.
Chandler, Caroline, and Thatcher—one of the hardest parts about being in Washington for two and a half years was missing you growing up. I am so happy we are home now and I get to see you almost every day! Aunt Silly and your Uncle Bobo are always here for you and if you ever need someone to let you do things your mom won’t (like eat ice cream for breakfast!) just come see us!
To my extended family—Aunt Pat (my number one cheerleader who loves and watches every interview!), Uncle Jim, Katie Beth (the most caring person I know), Blake, Aunt Susan (the only one brave enough to boss my mom around), Uncle Mike, Aunt Brenda, Uncle Tal, Aunt Nell, Aunt Patty—we don’t have a perfect family and I am glad because that would be boring. I’ll take our crazy family full of laughter and love any day!
Leigh and Jordan—after nearly twenty-five years of friendship, you are my oldest and best friends. There isn’t much we haven’t done together and I am looking forward to many more adventures with you two by my side.
My college crew—Dawson, Mandy, Jodi, Kelly, Megan, Sarah, Hillary, and Mandy A.—it’s amazing how close you can get when you go to college in a small town with nothing to do! I love how seamless our friendship is even though we don’t get to see each other often enough. Knowing I had this whole crew cheering, defending, and praying for me every single day gave me the confidence to take on anything.
My kitchen cabinet—Chris, Ashley, Chip, Jordan, Jim, Cathy, Katy, and Megan—you tell me all the things I don’t want to hear, join me in one crazy project after another, and make everything more fun. You are the loyal friends and team I know I can call on to help when I really need it, no questions asked.
Senator John Boozman—you are a mentor and the nicest person in politics. Washington changes a lot of people but it never changed you. I look forward to many more years of your selfless leadership for Arkansas in our nation’s capital.
White House press and comms teams—I couldn’t have done the job a single day without each of you. Spicer, you hired me onto your team and gave me an opportunity. You faithfully served our country and didn’t let the critics define you or get you down. Raj, you gave me tough love and never let me go out unprepared. I didn’t worry when you were handling something because I knew it would probably be done better than if I did it myself. Hogan, you are like a brother to me and always had my back. Your sense of fashion is unmatched in the White House (even by the great Larry Kudlow) and you do an outstanding job speaking on behalf the president. Ditto, who knew how close we would become when we came through the gate on that first day? Your friendship and support helped me endure the toughest moments. Hope, you always had the best one-liners and made me laugh. You are a fundamentally good person and amazing talent. The president and the country are so blessed to have you. Josh, everyone needs a friend like you. You showed us that Democrats and Republicans can set politics aside and work together—and I hope that’s the case because I’d never want to go against somebody as formidable as you. Anton, you are a true-life gentleman and a scholar, and you brought serious intellectual firepower to our team. There is literally no one else like you! Lindsay, you kept us all in line and our office couldn’t have functioned without you and your willingness to manage it all. Judd, you are one of the best hires I’ve ever made. I can’t wait to work with you again once I convince you to come home to Arkansas! Sarah F., you are a patriot who admirably served our military and president with distinction. Americans like you are the reason we are the greatest country in the world. Alexa, I can’t believe we’re still friends after all the times you booked me on CNN during the campaign! You worked so hard and gave it all for the president and our team. Adam, you were often a wet blanket to my hot takes, but invaluable preparing me for every briefing and interview. Ory, some days you were a little more E-ory than Ory but you are smart and strategic and made it look easy. You also had the best DC restaurant recommendations and I never once got kicked out of any of them! Julia, you may be soft-spoken but you have as much fight as anyone in the building. Tony, for a corporate guy from NYC you’re really not that bad! Dubke, you throw the best party in Washington and gave me the confidence to take on the job. Mercy, you helped me find work-family balance. You knew what it meant to be a mom first and made sure I never felt like I wasn’t enough for my kids. Shine, you never quite got the lighting right or learned how to speak at an appropriate volume, but always nailed being the fiercest defender of our team. Janet, you put up with me every day and protected me and my time better than anyone ever could. Sometimes even I was scared to tell you we needed to change the schedule! Katie, even if you only had five minutes, you made me feel beautiful and confident every day. VP comms (Lotter, Alyssa, and Jarrod), you were always perfectly on message just like your boss! Research, booking, digital, congressional, cabinet, intergovernmental affairs comms, wranglers, and assistant press secretaries, you did all the legwork for none of the credit. Thank you to everyone in White House press and comms for your hard work, loyalty, and friendship.
Additional White House senior staff—Brooke, Pat, Emmet, Johnny, Hagin, Liddell, Shahira, General McMaster, Gary, Kudlow, Waddell, Bossert, Fears, Marc, Justin C., Stepien, Stefan, Hassett, Greenblatt, Kellyanne, Nick, Emma, Zach, Reince, General Kelly, Kirstjen, Mick, Bremberg, McGahn, Annie, Dearborn, Grogan, Reed, KT, among others—each of you made the sacrifice to serve. Many of you paid a personal and financial price to do so and I loved getting to serve alongside you.
Julie and Wynn—you became like family to us in Washington. You didn’t mind if my house was a wreck or my kids were screaming in the background. You made doing life together in Washington fun. Your love of the South and jam bands didn’t hurt either!
Dina—you’re a true pro and mentor who helped me navigate the White House and Washington. I’ll be returning to you again and again for good advice in the years ahead.
The White House road team—Scavino, Derek, Walsh, Miller, Tony, Dr. Conley and Dr. Jackson, and the Mil-aides, White House photographers, and military valets—some months we spent more hours in the air than we did at home and I loved every minute of it. From playing cards, working on speeches and statements, and family dinners in the conference room, some of my best memories from the White House I’ll always cherish were time I spent with each of you.
White House Advance, Travel Office, and Operations—Clifton, Hannah, Beau, Luna, Jordan F., Bobby, Max, Bethany, Megan, Justin C., Jordan K., Rebecca W., Andrew, Ben W., Alex, Therese, Will, Chang, among others—you made each trip possible, handled every detail, and always made sure I knew where to go and never once left me behind even though I often wasn’t in the right place!
FLOTUS team—Lindsay, Grisham, Haley, and Rickie—you served the first lady exceptionally well and made every event at the White House special and beautiful, and all our foreign trips more fun!
; The US Secret Service, the White House Military Office, the Air Force and Marine One flight crews, the White House Communications Agency—you selflessly protect us and faithfully serve our country. America is strong and free because of you, and we are all in your debt.
The many real journalists in the White House Press Corps—even if we often disagreed, you are some of the toughest, smartest reporters in the country, and provide a vital service for the American people. You challenged us and made us stronger every day.
Former White House press secretaries (Marlin, Josh, Ari, and Dana)—you were the voices of previous presidents and paved the way for the rest of us. Your example, advice, and feedback were helpful and encouraging.
Our Arlington neighbors Staci and Cabi—for two and a half years you gave us a social life outside of politics. You brought us into your fold and treated us like lifelong friends.
Our pastors Michael and Heather—you gave us a church home and accepted us the way that God does, just as we are. You were mentors and friends and served as a constant reminder of what really matters.
David Limbaugh—you are the best agent I could have asked for. Patient, calm, and most importantly you believed in me and my story.
Hugh Hewitt—you gave me the title for this book. Any friend of Jan Janura’s is a friend of ours!
The team at St. Martin’s—you guided me through this process and took a chance on me as a first-time author.
Vice President and Second Lady Pence—you led by example and showed our country what it means to live out your faith and do so unapologetically. You have been a steady and strong force for good in our country.
Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, Barron, Jared, and Lara—the president couldn’t do it without your love, support, and devotion. Very few people fully understand the tremendous sacrifices and contributions you make—but it doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. America is better because of each of you.
First Lady Melania Trump—your poise and grace is unrivaled and your love for children is inspiring. You have made a positive, lasting impact on the president and the country.
President Trump—there are no words to describe how much you changed my life. You took a chance on me, let me into your circle, trusted me, and empowered me to carry your message to the world. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve the American people. I don’t care what the critics say—you will go down in history as a great president.
The American People—you make our country good and strong. Thank you to all of you who believed in us, prayed for us, and have taken the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it and will encourage your family and friends to read it as well.
And most importantly, thank you to our Creator who gives us purpose and loves us no matter what.
About the Author
Sarah Huckabee Sanders served as the White House press secretary from 2017-2019; she was the third woman and first mother to ever hold the position. The daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sanders has worked in leadership roles for U.S senators, governors, and presidential campaigns. Sarah has been recognized in TIME Magazine’s “40 under 40” as one of the best political operatives of her generation. She is a Fox News contributor, advises major companies, and serves on the Fulbright board as an appointee of President Trump. Sarah lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband Bryan, their children Scarlett, Huck, and George, and their golden retriever Traveler. You can sign up for email updates here.
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First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
SPEAKING FOR MYSELF. Copyright © 2020 by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
“2018 White House Basement Version,” found in chapter 5, is printed with permission of Gregory Clugston.
Cover design by Michael Storrings
Cover photograph by Deborah Feingold
Back cover photograph © Official White House photograph by Shealah Craighead
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Sanders, Sarah Huckabee, author.
Title: Speaking for myself: faith, freedom, and the fight of our lives inside the Trump White House / Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Other titles: Faith, freedom, and the fight of our lives inside the Trump White House
Identifiers: LCCN 2020026251 | ISBN 9781250271334 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250275233 | ISBN 9781250271341 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sanders, Sarah Huckabee. | United States—Politics and government—2017– | Presidents—United States—Staff—Biography. | Presidential Press Secretaries—United States—Biography. | United States—Politics and government—2017–2019. | Press and politics—United States—History—21st century.
Classification: LCC E912 .S265 2020 | DDC 352.23/2748092 [B]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020026251
eISBN 9781250271341
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: 2020
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1. Kill ’Em All
2. Arkansas
3. Winning
4. Press Sec
5. No-Man’s-Land
6. Fire and Fury
7. Liberal Mob
8. Witch Hunt
9. Working Mom
10. Fighting for Us
11. Warrior
12. Be the Somebodies
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Speaking for Myself Page 26
