Arkansas Gov Sarah Sanders will not join the Trump administration

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday that she will not leave the governor’s mansion to join President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration in Washington, D.C. 

“I’ve already announced my bid for re-election and I look forward to serving in this position for the next six years,” Sanders told reporters when asked if she might re-join the White House. “So unfortunately, and hopefully, you guys are stuck with me for a while.” 

Sanders served as the 31st White House press secretary for two years during Trump’s first term. She left the White House in 2019 and mounted a successful campaign for governor in 2021 with Trump’s endorsement, becoming the first female governor of the Natural State. She is also the youngest currently serving governor in the United States.

Sanders campaigned for Trump’s re-election in 2024 and appeared at several of his rallies. Her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, was recently named as Trump’s choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel.

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Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4, 2024. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

“The only member of my family who will be going into the administration is my dad,” Sanders said Tuesday. 

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Former President Donald Trump attends a town hall meeting moderated by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, on Sept. 17, 2024. (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump announced Huckabee’s appointment as U.S. ambassador to Israel on Tuesday in a statement that called the former governor “Highly Respected.” 

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East,” Trump said. 

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Then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2018. (‘Murphy Brown’ Twitter)

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Reacting to the appointment, Sanders said she was “unbelievably proud” to learn that her father was nominated to serve in the Trump administration.

“I went to Israel for the first time with my dad when I was eleven and it changed my life. There is no one President Trump could have picked with a greater love for the Israeli people and commitment to the unbreakable bond between America and Israel than him,” she posted on X. “Love you dad!”