Report: Fox News host in talks to become press secretary
Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle says she's in talks to join the White House as press secretary, according to The Mercury News.
Guilfoyle's comments came days after the New York Times reported that the president had suggested her as a possible recruit for the job. Guilfoyle, the former wife of Democratic California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, told the Bay Area News Group that her joining the White House had been "raised by a number of people" in the Trump administration, but declined to get into specifics.
A spokesperson for Fox News quickly pushed back on the report. "Kimberly is a valued member of the FOX News primetime lineup, and is under a long-term contract with the network," the network said in a statement.
"I'm a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country," she said, although she also complimented current Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who she called "a very nice man and a patriot."
However, some of Guilfoyle's remarks on her show last week seemed to indicate that, despite having kind words for Spicer, she believes he is not personally close enough to the president.
"It has to be somebody with a very close relationship, where there's trust there, there's inherent loyalty, someone who's been there from the beginning," Guilfoyle said on a broadcast of "The Five" last week.
Guilfoyle claims that she has that kind of relationship with the president, having known him and his family for over a decade since they met at a charity event in New York. She added that her son goes to the same school as one of Mr. Trump's granddaughters.
When asked by the paper what she'd do differently in the role of press secretary, Guilfoyle wouldn't speculate but stressed the importance of, "being on message, being very well prepared…making sure that everybody's on the same page."
Guilfoyle herself released a statement on Tuesday after the story broke: "As I stated in the interview, I really love what I do and my job co-hosting The Five is tough to beat."