Sarah Sanders unofficially signed off Tuesday night as White House press secretary, telling an arena of Trump supporters she’ll be spending some time with her children after she leaves the president’s service.
‘One of the most incredible experiences anybody could ever imagine,’ she said of the experience.
Trump has been pushing her to declare her interest in the governor’s mansion in her home state but Sanders stayed mum on the subject as she campaigned with her boss and his family for the final time in Orlando, Florida.
‘I couldn’t be prouder to be part of your team. I’m going to go spend a little time with my kids,’ she answered. ‘But no one will be a stronger voice and a more fierce advocate for this president because he’s fighting for all of the people in this room and for all of the people that you represent all over the country.’
Sarah Sanders unofficially signed off Tuesday night as White House press secretary, telling an arena of Trump supporters she’ll be spending some time with her children after she leaves the president’s service
Inviting her to take the stage in Orlando, he said, ‘By the way, a woman who has been so good, so talented, so wonderful, and we’re sort of going to be losing her’
Sanders has three young children, who her job has kept her away from. She worked for Trump as a candidate in 2016 and earned one of the top spots in his White House
Sanders is seen here with Jared Kushner in Orlando, waiting for President Trump on Tuesday
Sanders has three young children, who her job has kept her away from. She worked for Trump as a candidate in 2016 and earned one of the top spots in his White House.
Still, the president has brought up the Arkansas governor’s race three times publicly since Sanders resigned as his spokeswoman, suggesting she’s considering a political run.
Inviting her to take the stage in Orlando, he said, ‘By the way, a woman who has been so good, so talented, so wonderful, and we’re sort of going to be losing her. I have a feeling she’s going to be running for a certain gubernatorial position.
‘A woman who’s a special woman… Sarah Huckabee Sanders,’ he stated.
He closed out her brief remarks by calling her a ‘warrior’ before he moved on to other topics.
‘We’re going to miss her. We’re going to miss her. Thank you, Sarah. Incredible. A warrior,’ he said.
(L-R) White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and White House advisor Stephen Miller share a goodbye
Sanders said she was leaving last week and took her last AF1 ride on Tuesday to Orlando
Sanders announced in a tweet that the plane ride with the president to Florida would be her final one as a member of his staff.
‘Taking off on AF1 for my last trip as WH Press Secretary,’ she tweeted from the @presssec handle she’ll be giving up.
Trump said in a tweet earlier in the week that she’d be leaving the White House ‘at the end of the month and going home’ to the same state that her father governed.
‘She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!’ he tweeted.
He hailed her at again at an event minutes after announcing her departure.
The president called her ‘a person, a friend, a woman, a great, great magnificent person’ in the impromptu remarks. ;And she’s very popular. She’s very popular,’ ending the tribute by saying: ‘She is a warrior.’
‘She’s done an incredible job. We’ve been through a lot together. She’s tough and she’s good,’ Trump gushed. ‘If we can get her to run for governor of Arkansas. I think we can get her to do that. I’m trying to get her to do that.’
Kissing her check, he said, ‘I want to thank you for an outstanding job.’
Hands-on boss: Trump patted Sarah Sanders on the shoulders as she praised him and said she ‘loved’ her job
Hailed by the chief: Trump brought Sarah Sanders on stage at a White House reception to praise her publicly after using Twitter to announce that she was leaving
Hug-off: Trump praised Sanders for her work and said: ‘She’s done an incredible job. We’ve been through a lot together. She’s tough and she’s good.’
Dramatic announcement: Trump used his favorite medium of twitter to announce the departure of his longest-serving press secretary
How she responded: Sanders tweeted her own response after Trump saying it was ‘time for us to go home’
Republican Asa Huchinson is the governor of Arkansas. The seat isn’t open until 2022, and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is expected to seek the position.
Yet, Sanders didn’t deny she’s considering a political future in Arkansas during an afternoon chat with reporters in her West Wing office.
‘I’ve learned a long time ago never to rule anything out,’ she said. ‘I do look forward to going back home.’
Sanders has three children, daughter Scarlett and sons Huck and George, with her husband Bryan.
She sometimes posted photographs of them together and was last seen at the press room podium when she brought them in for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day in April.
Trump pointed out her ‘great family, her husband, who’s a fantastic guy, and her great family’ in his goodbye remarks.