White House officials are debating whether to restore the daily news briefing for its next press secretary following the exit of Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the end of this month, The New York Times reports.
The Times reported that some White House officials, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, say the next press secretary should hold at least a daily untelevised briefing, which could be used to help shape the White House message and help elevate Trump as he seeks reelection in 2020.
{mosads}But critics say Trump has never liked the daily briefing and that he prefers to take to Twitter himself to communicate information, the newspaper reported.
Holding a daily press briefing would stray from what the Trump administration has exercised in recent years.
Sanders, who announced Thursday that she would leave her position as press secretary at the end of this month after a two-year run as Trump’s top spokeswoman, broke decades of tradition by essentially ending daily sessions with the press corps from the James S. Brady Briefing Room.
Sanders’s last briefing was 96 days ago, though she has held more informal press gaggles with members of the press since then.
Trump is looking to appoint a woman to become Sanders’s replacement, according to the Times, which reported that first lady Melania Trump’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, is among the top choices.
Trump has also reportedly shown interest in former Fox News contributor and current State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus for the role. For now, deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley will fill the post, the Times reports.