Trump Needs a Warrior for Press Secretary

I don’t play the inside info card very often, but I’m laying it down now — rumor control reports that President Donald Trump is mulling over two terrific candidates to be the next presidential press secretary. Bottom line up front — Scott Jennings or Ben Ferguson. Either would be a warrior. Either would be a home run.

You might wonder why President Trump even needs a press secretary at all, since he’s arguably the savviest practitioner of public relations, messaging, and political influence operations in living memory. After all, this is a guy who talked his way into beating the Smartest Woman in the World™ — though, unlike Felonia Mulhouse von Pantsuit, smart women, as well as dumb women and inanimate objects, are typically able to pass the DC Bar exam. His use of social media is unparalleled — his media game is so far beyond that of anybody else that most of the time we sit scratching our heads in wonder at it.

Yet he does need a press secretary, because he can’t be everywhere at once talking to everyone at once. Somebody has to wrangle the clamoring hordes of regime media organ grinder monkeys as well as the occasional actual journalist. This is especially true if the Democrats take one or more houses of Congress and launch a political war on the administration. That’s why you need a warrior for press secretary, someone who can keep the beasts at bay with a whip and a chair. And now he’s got to pick someone to replace Karoline Leavitt, who turned out to be a fantastic choice and a welcome change from the tongue-tied diversity hire who ineptly sought to shield Grandpa Badfinger’s sundowning from the masses. That dorkette wasn’t fooling anybody, except herself. She genuinely thought she was a genius, which made it even more hilarious. How bad was she? MSNOW hasn’t given her a show. Even Karine Jean-Pierre’s predecessor, Jen Pippi Wrongstocking Psaki, got a gig on the news channel for people who find the Home Shopping Network too intellectually challenging.

So, let’s review the options President Trump is allegedly considering. We all know Scott Jennings because he’s made himself a legend via his viral duels with leftists on CNN. He’s smart and doesn’t back down, which distinguishes him from about 90 percent of Republicans. He’s also a Salem radio host and, if he doesn’t get picked for the White House gig, he’ll be along with Larry O’Connor and me on the Salem-Townhall Gulf of America cruise in a few weeks. I don’t know him, though I was on a Zoom call with him once and I found him gracious and amusing. It’s important not to be a jerk, and I don’t know a single person who has a bad thing to say about him. He’s a Southerner and will treat even the disrespectful with something like respect, which only makes them look worse. 

Scott Jennings has created his own massive career, and if he wants to go into electoral politics or stay in media, he can do either of those things. How would he do as press secretary? Well, he’d be great. The question is whether Donald Trump wants to get somebody who’s a huge name in that job. There are pluses and minuses to that. Another potential issue is the ankle-biters who would be mad because Scott Jennings worked with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in the past, though even those of us sometimes frustrated by Cocaine Mitch should acknowledge the man’s incredible contributions to the movement.

Ben Ferguson would be another brilliant choice. I know him, and I’ve hung out with him, and he’s a solid guy. You’ve seen him on CNN as well, outnumbered and outgunned, battling against the leftist hordes like Leonidas and the 300 at Thermopylae. He’s an experienced radio host and was the moderator of Ted Cruz’s popular podcast. While not a lawyer, hanging with Ted has clearly given him some lawyer chops – the guy knows how to cross-examine and knows how to handle questions. He’s never going to back down, but he too has that kind of southern hospitality that makes obnoxious opponents look even more obnoxious. President Trump will go for Ben if he decides he wants someone with a lower profile in that slot who can also do the blocking and tackling of everyday media operations.

But, most importantly, both are America First warriors.

Now, there are some other people out there who could do the job, but the real consideration is what Donald Trump wants from his pick. Does he want a press secretary who has independent star power, or does he want someone who’ll be more low-key? Star power has worked for some of his appointees. Scott Bessent is a star on his own. Marco Rubio is a star on his own. Pete Hegseth is a star on his own. RFK Jr. is a star on his own. But there have been some people who’ve thought they were stars who have not worked out so great. A certain percentage of people just aren’t going to work out. And there have been the workhorse model picks who have done a great job without a huge amount of personal attention. Karoline Leavitt was one of those. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is one of those. Rick Grenell is one of those. When the regime media tries to make them the story, they shun the spotlight.

You’ve got other potential candidates out there that we haven’t heard of, like the short- lived lady who made it half a Scaramucci — one of the top skills of a leader is the ability to redirect an ill-fitting employee to another role quickly when it becomes immediately apparent it’s a bad fit. A lot of other names have been floated. I’ve heard Dana Loesch, which I would pay money to see, but knowing her — she’s been a friend for a long time — she would never do it. And if she did, pray for the press. A friend back in California mentioned Spencer Pratt as an option. He’s certainly great at expressing himself, but when you’re press secretary, you are speaking for the president and not yourself. It’s unclear if that would be a great fit. There are others, but I can’t think of a better choice offhand than the frontrunners.

What you do want in that position, in addition to a taste for battle, is pretty simple. You want someone who puts the president and his message first. You want somebody who knows how to put out a message clearly and concisely. You want somebody who’s not going to be pushed around by that ravenous pack of wolves in the press room, but who’s also not going to unnecessarily create press room conflicts that might interfere with the message the president wants to be sending. You certainly don’t want to have the press secretary himself or herself be the issue. Even though you’re in the spotlight, it’s about the boss.

In ancient Rome, when a triumphant general rode through the streets at the head of his legions to receive his honors, a slave held a laurel crown over his head and whispered in his ear, “You are mortal.” You need someone in that job who knows that it’s not about him or her. Or, for a Democrat, them.

Now, this is a great problem for President Trump to have. It’s a similar problem he’s had through most of the second administration, which is that he’s got to choose between great candidates for important jobs. When he came to town in 2017, he didn’t have a Rolodex. He had to rely on the pathetic GOP losers who were already ensconced in DC to help him pick his people, and it should’ve come as no surprise that losers would recommend losers. Rex Tillerson, anybody? What the hell was that?

And it hurt him in the first administration, but he learned. Donald Trump did not make the same mistake twice. Oh, a certain number of people are going to fall out, no matter what, but there really haven’t been that many. Instead, his staffing choices have been directly responsible for some of his biggest successes over the last two years. And now he’s allegedly choosing between two warrior superstars to be his press secretary. That’s a great position to be in.

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