The Daily Signal - Kayleigh McEnany’s ‘Faith Journey’ From White House Intern to Trump’s Press Secretary —

Episode Date: July 28, 2021

What would it be like to go from being an intern at the White House to being White House press secretary? Kayleigh McEnany, the fourth and final press secretary to President Donald Trump, experienced that unlikely journey. She joins me today on "The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss that passage as well as her forthcoming book "For Such a Time as This: My Faith Journey Through the White House and Beyond.” "It was surreal," McEnany says of working for the president. "My first time in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room was as an intern for [President George W.] Bush, as you noted," she says. "Dana Perino was the press secretary, so I watched her go back and forth with the Fox correspondent, ended up interning at Fox, and [then] doing several internships." "But then, about 10 years later, I was standing at the podium myself, which was surreal, amazing. And I know it was only made possible because Christ had that path for my life even when I couldn't see it." We also cover these stories on the podcast: A House select committee holds its first hearing looking into the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The panel includes seven Democrats but only two Republicans—Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming.  President Joe Biden releases a 21-point immigration-reform plan as the crisis at the southern border intensifies. Biden meets with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., to discuss how to move forward the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, July 28th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rachel Del Dutas. What would it be like to go from being an intern at the White House to one day being the press secretary? Kaley McAnneany, former President Donald Trump's press secretary, walked this unlikely journey and joins me today on the Daily Signal podcast to discuss. We also talk about her new book for such a time as this. Today's interview was recorded at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. So please excuse the background music and noise. And of course, don't forget if you enjoy this podcast, please take a few minutes to leave

us a review and a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe. Now onto our top news. A House Select Committee held its first hearing Tuesday on the January 6th riot at the Capitol. The committee investigating the riot includes seven Democrats and only two Republicans, Representative Adam Kinsinger of Illinois and Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming. At the hearing, Cheney and Kinsinger criticized their GOP colleagues for not supporting the committee. Kinzinger said, this cannot continue to be a partisan fight. I'm a Republican. I'm a conservative.

But in order to heal from the damage cause that day, we need to call out the facts. It is time to stop the outrage and the conspiracies that fuel the violence and division in this. country, and most importantly, we need to reject those that promote it. For U.S. Capitol police officers testified before the committee recounting their experience on January 6th when a mob reached the Capitol building. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Phenone, who was injured during the riot, recounted his experience per MSNBC. As my physical injuries gradually subsided in the adrenaline that had stayed with me for weeks waned, I've been left with the psychological trauma and the emotional anxiety of having survived such a horrific event.

And my children continue to deal with the trauma of nearly losing their dad that day. What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know so many of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people I put my life at risk to defend, are downplaying or outright denying what happened. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room. But too many are now telling me that hell doesn't exist or that hell actually wasn't that bad.

The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful. My law enforcement career prepared me to cope with some of the aspects of this experience. Being an officer, you know your life is at risk whenever you walk out the door. Even if you don't expect otherwise law and abiding citizens to take up arms against you. But nothing, truly nothing, has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events that day. Kinsinger became emotional during his remarks as he spoke to the four officers and thank them

for defending the Capitol that day. per ABC News. Thank you to my colleagues on the committee. Thank you to our witnesses. I never expected a day to be quite as emotional for me as it has been. I've talked to a number of you and gotten to know you. I think it's important to tell you right now, though. You guys may, like, individually feel a little broken.

You guys all talk about the effects you have to deal with, and, you know, you talk about the impact of that day. but you guys won you guys held you know democracies are not defined by our bad days we're defined by how we come back from bad

bad days how we take accountability for that and for all the overheated rhetoric surrounding this committee our mission is very simple let's define the truth and it's to ensure account ability. In a tweet Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Pelosi's partisan committee is just a

pretense for Democrats to cast political attacks. She proved that when she made the unprecedented decision to reject Republicans that were selected to serve. President Joe Biden released a 21-point immigration plan on Tuesday as the crisis at the southern border continues. The Biden plan calls for improving the expedited removal process for illegal immigrants who arrive at the border in strengthening operations against smuggling and human trafficking. The president also said the plan would establish a dedicated court docket to consider asylum claims and provide humanitarian support to try to prevent residents from other countries from leaving home. A fact sheet released on the White House website says, success in building this fair, orderly, and humane immigration system

won't be achieved overnight, especially after the prior administration's irrational and inhumane policies, but this administration has a blueprint to get there and is making real progress. President Biden met Tuesday with Arizona Democratic Senator Kristen Sinema to discuss how to move forward the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Cinema told reporters afterwards that the meeting was productive. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the passage of the infrastructure bill depends on the Senate's taking up the overall $3.5 trillion spending bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Schumer said Tuesday, we are making good progress on both tracks, referring to both spending bills. Schumer said the Senate should be prepared to work through the weekend to finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill before the August recess. Cinema has declined to say whether she would support the $3.5 trillion bill. Please say they have found and identified the last missing victim of the surside combo collapse in Florida that killed 98 people in June. authorities identified the person as 54-year-old Hestell Hadea who lived in the six-four of the 12-story building. Now stay tuned for my conversation with Kaylee McAnneany on her journey from being a White House intern to the White House Press Secretary.

Never has it been more important for us to fight for America. Each day we see the penalties of progressive policies across our nation. Our elections are under assault. Our economic freedom is on the decline, and our culture is turning its back on the foundation. principles that have made us the freest, most prosperous nation in history. That's why the Heritage Foundation developed a plan to take on the left and take back our country. The Citizens Guide to Fight for America provides a series of heritage recommended action items delivered on a regular basis to your inbox. Make an impact in your community and in our country. Sign up for the

Citizens Guide at heritage.org slash citizens guide and join in the fight for America today. I'm joined today on The Daily Signal podcast by Kaylee McAnneenie, former White House press secretary and now co-house on outnumbered on Fox News. Kaylee, it's great to have you with us on The Daily Signal. Good to join you again. Well, you have a book coming out called for such a time as this, my faith journey through the White House and beyond. Can you tell us about the book?

Yeah, so, you know, I wanted to write to me what was my account of being in the Trump White House, my interactions with President Trump, the president, the man that I I saw until I wrote about my time in the White House, but beyond just the time and the most powerful building in the world, I talk about my family and, you know, downsides to life and how faith got me through. And I'm very honest and forthright about how, you know, I was emotional before I went to the podium. I was actually almost in tears the first time because it's a nerve-wracking thing.

And I got on my knees in the bathroom in the West Wing and prayed and, you know, how faith really at the most nervous moments of my life helped me through. So beyond even a journey through the White House, it's my faith journey. And there's Baby Blake, she's featured in there as well, my little daughter. That's really precious. Well, something that you mentioned in the book that I thought was so cool, having, there's so many people that interned in D.C. And you had mentioned how you were a White House intern, and then you went on to be the press secretary. Can you tell us more about that and what that was like to go from White House intern to a press secretary?

It was crazy. I mean, it was surreal. My first time in the James Esperty Press Briefing room was as an intern for Bush, as you noted. I Dana Prino was the press secretary so I watched her go back and forth with the Fox correspondent ended up interning at Fox and doing several internships but then about 10 years later I was standing at the podium myself which was surreal amazing and I know only made possible because Christ had that path for my life even when I couldn't see it you mentioned also in the book there are some never before told stories of your times there can you maybe tell one or two for listeners

Hmm. It's never before told stories. Well, I told a few of them on the Turning Point USA stage. I think, let me see. I'm trying to think of a good one for your podcast. Sorry, I'm going through a bunch. I mean, I would say, I think I told you about the press briefing. I think when the president got COVID-19 was probably one. That was one of the hardest days in the White House because it was someone who wasn't just a boss to me, but someone who had become a friend. President Trump cared deeply about me, my family, my well-being as he did about all of his employees. So when he got COVID, it was scary. I went into the White House and most people weren't at work. The press team showed up. We still had to do our job. Arguably, the most important day for a press shop is the day when the commander and chief, the leader of the free world, gets plagued by this very scary illness.

We showed up and my team, we worked through the day and kept very tight communications. When the president moved to Walter Reed, we were all very nervous for him, but he recovered. It was good, but I can tell you it was a haunting few hours there in the White House and very surreal, but I'm proud of the work our team did, and so glad that president and all those around him managed to make it through. Well, I can imagine. So this book at his core, it's all about your faith. And for those who work in D.C. or maybe other places, how would you encourage them? And how did you keep your faith central despite the barrage of just daily life and what all you had to deal with? Well, you're right.

You know, the barrage of daily life happens. You know, there are days where, you know, you're just so busy in the drumbeat, you forget to, you know, say a prayer during a tough moment or, you know, read your devotional or read a Bible, or you can't go to church one Sunday because you're on the campaign trail, you know, you're right, the daily barrage of life takes over. But I think when you have a personal relationship with Christ, even when you on your side aren't putting in the work, when you go to him during those hard times, he's there during those valleys, he's there to help you along the way. That's when I discovered.

The times when I hear most clearly from Christ are the times when I'm in the valleys in life. So I think even if you're not someone who reads a devotional every day, I certainly try to. I'm certainly not perfect, but during those hard times, I turned to my Jesus calling at the advice of Sarah Sanders, my predecessor. And she was right because it's in those moments when he spoke to me and helped me through. So given your time in the White House as press secretary, are there certain things that you wish more people would ask about that they don't ask you about? And you're like, hey, I would love to talk about that if people would ask me. What are some of those things? So I talked a lot about crime in the streets.

And, you know, Jen Saki has made the point. the Biden administration that the crime wave started happening during Trump's last year. That's absolutely accurate. Also during Trump's last year was the defund the police movement, was Democrat mayors and governors, you know, not prosecuting people who committed crimes. So there's a reason it started going down. It's because of leftist policies. But I was deeply moved and emotional at, remember at one time I saw New York Post cover and it was a casket for a one-year-old, one-year-old. And the headline was the image that should shame every politician in America. And the casket is a beautiful, multicolored casket with the name Cocoa Lemon, which is a series

that my own daughter watches. So I said the names of people who lost their lives from the podium, children, you know, Sequoria Turner, a little girl in Atlanta who was killed. But the press didn't really have many questions about crime, and they're real victims of crime. So I continued to bring it up, and now we're finally starting to talk about it, but I think it's important, we say the names of police officers who have fallen, children who have lost their lives because these are real victims. And I'm glad that I was able to use the podium

to bring attention to these issues, but the press often ignores them because it doesn't fit the left narrative. So I wish I would have been asked more substantive questions chiefly on those two issues. Let's talk about the press a little bit in media coverage in general. What was it like working with the press when you were there?

We all saw some of the briefings. You've mentioned it in your speech here at Turning Point. And now what you see, on today's press briefings in the Biden administration. Do you see similarities? Is the press secretary differently? What is your perspective on that media coverage? So first let me start by saying the press serves an incredibly important role.

Obviously, it's important that we have a free press in this country. It's central to democracy. There are some very good reporters like Steve Holland of Reuters, a great reporter. Real Clear Politics. Philip Wegman is a great reporter. Peter Deucey at Fox News, great reporter. There are many great reporters. two of those were in my tenure and I interacted with them and can tell you firsthand.

Now, though, you have a press that first day, they ask about, what was it like for President Biden to sit in the Oval Office? He's been wanting this so long. That was a question. Questions about Joe Biden's dog, Joe Biden's cat, the Air Force One Color scheme. That doesn't serve the American people. It doesn't. Likewise, it doesn't serve the American people when questions were asked during my tenure, like, is the President glad that the South lost the Civil War?

The sensational questions don't serve the American people, and the fluff questions don't serve the American people. And I wish that both Democrat administrations and Republican administrations got fair, probing questions on the issues of substance. There's two spectrums, neither are good. If the press could come right down the middle, some of the questions you hear Peter Ducey asking, for example, straight, hard-hitting questions. I think that's what the American people deserve. I want to ask you a more thing. Critical race theory, we've seen this become very rampant. When kids were home during COVID, parents saw what they're going.

their students and their children were learning and are very concerned, have questions about it. What is your perspective? And I know Florida has done a lot in this regard to keep CRT out of schools, but what do you think should happen here? How should this be solved? Yeah, look, I think it's terrible when you have children being taught that by virtue of the color of their skin, they are an oppressed or an oppressor. You know, the idea that my daughter would go to school and be taught that she's an oppressor because of the color of her skin or one of her classmates would be taught that she is oppressed because of the color of hers. It's horrible. It's insidious. It's not the American way. I'm so proud of Governor DeSantis for banning it alongside

other Florida governors or other governors around the country, I should say. It's insidious and we've got to stop it. And that's why you see parents rising up, much like the Tea Party movement, but on the issue of critical race theory. Well, former press secretary, Kelia McInney, thank you for joining us again. I'm doing a signal. Really appreciate it. Thank you. And don't go away. Up next, Rachel talks with Fox News, Jesse Waters, about his new book, I saved the world. Virginia Allen here, I want to tell you all about one of my favorite podcasts. Heritage Explains is a weekly podcast that breaks down all the policy issues we hear about in the

news at a 101 level. Host Michelle Cordero and Tim Desher mix in news clips and music to tell a story, but also bring in heritage experts to help break down complex issues. Heritage Explains offers quick 10 to 50 minute explainers. that bring you up to speed in an entertaining way. You can find them on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcast. We even put the full episode on YouTube.

I'm joined today on The Daily Signal podcast by Jesse Waters, host of Waters World. Jesse, thank you for being with us on The Daily Signal. Thank you for having me, Rachel. Oh, it's great having you with us. So you have a new book coming out. It's called How I Save the World. It's out.

It is out already. How I Save the World went to number one on the Times list. Did you guys catch that at number one on the Times list? Now, if I hadn't gotten number one, I would have claimed they rigged it against me. But I did get number one, so I'm very proud. But I'm probably not going to be number one for long because Levin has a book out this week and is going to knock me right out. Oh, my. All right.

So one of the things you talk about a bunch of things in this book, but one of the things you talk about is overcoming left-wing radicalism. How would you say we go about this? Did you read the book, Rachel? I've not read the book. Okay. You got to get us a low down. Let's just get it out of the way. But, you know, I appreciate the fact that you didn't try to pretend like you read the book.

You just admitted you didn't read it, and that's fine. We're going to have to get you a copy because a lot of people fake like they've read it. And that's fine, but I appreciate your honesty. The book is funny. It's 20 years of my career at Fox covering the news, being unleashed into the nude beaches of Martha's Vineyard, the streets of San Francisco, and what I've observed about liberals. and all of their hatred and insecurity and how they project that onto the rest of the country

and what we can do about it. And also stuff that I've never shared with anybody, like having dinner with President Trump and dealing with my liberal mother, so this book will make you laugh, it will make you think, and Rachel, it might make you cry. Okay, all right, it is on my list. So something else you talk about in the book,

one of the themes, is maintaining American democracy and especially given what's happening in Cuba right now. What are your thoughts on this? Well, we've had a bad track record of overthrowing the Cuban regime. Haven't we exploding cigars, mob hits, poison pens? So I wouldn't call for a full-scale invasion to free the Cuban people because it hasn't worked out in the past. So we just have to be gentle and delicate and encourage that movement however we can

behind the scenes if necessary. And they can't hang on to power forever, Rachel. Communism is a failed system. and eventually the people there will be afraid. Another theme you raise is the social justice warriors in the deep state. How do we go beyond social justice warriorism? And, yeah, thoughts on that, because we see it all the time everywhere, on the left and sometimes on the right as well.

Well, I think we should just act like parents and tell these idiots to knock it off. Being a parent now, one of the most powerful things you can do is just say stop. Just say knock it off. We're not going to tolerate it because, Rachel, what the mob does is it goes for the softest spot. If you just put up a strong wall and say, no, no, no, we're not changing this name. We're not firing this person. They will accept that because they don't actually have the power. We have the power. And we have the power to say no. So when we say no, they'll just go to a softer spot, try to penetrate that. But if everybody just says, no, we're not doing that crazy stuff,

they're toast. Well, this wasn't on the list, but you raise an interesting point. I want to ask you about it. I raise a lot of interesting points. Being a parent, what has that taught you about communication and, I guess, yeah, talking to people making a point. You said the power of saying no, but looking back from before you were a parent to now being a parent, now you have, you said twin girls, you have a new little boy. What does that talk you about communicating and sharing a message and impacting people? Well, with children, you have to communicate very simply and very slowly and repeat your message. And that's also important in media and politics, too.

You can't just say it and then forget it. You have to hammer it home. They have to make their beds, Rachel, and they have to do it every day. Did you make your bed? Why isn't your bed made? And just drill it into their head. That's very important because that instills discipline. But you also have to have patience because they're children.

All right, you can't get too tough, so you have to find a balancing act. And in that balance, you will be a good parent. Can't be too tough. Can't be too loose. Because if you're too loose, they're going to run the household. And that's what's wrong with this country right now. We are too permissive. We let junkies shoot up everywhere.

We let criminals out of bail, sometimes no bail, after they riddle the streets with bullets. And that's not something we can tolerate if we want to have a civilized society where people can function like they should be able to. You had mentioned earlier about your mom. She's liberal. Given that you have difference of opinions in your family, a lot of us do, how do you go about communicating your beliefs and what you believe to be true when you have someone in your family that you're close to?

I think sometimes it's hardest to talk to those who you're close to who disagree. How do you go about that? Well, I learned the hard way. I cleared out a few Thanksgiving dinner tables over the years, just sitting there with a drink and everybody had left. And the Obama years were tough, but the Trump years were even harder because it's not just my mom. my dad and my sister and my brother-in-law who actually worked for Obama and now works for Joe Biden. So you have to be cautious. You can't be too aggressive, especially after a cocktail.

And I think I just try to listen and I try not to provoke beyond the teenage years or the 20-somethings where I'm just trying to jam my opinion down their throats. And I think less is more sometimes with family. You also talk in the book about the choice between the All-American Hamburgers and the Leftist Green New Deal. What is that choice? I love how you're talking about everything that I talked about in the book without reading the book, which is nice. I have to do my homework. You really do.

I got to do my homework. We got to get you a book, Rachel. But my mother and father had sent me to these survival camps growing up to build character. And boy, what a character did they build here, because these camps were not fun. they were survival schools and I think I might have gone with a few people that had personality disorders because I'd show up and it was a bunch of girls cutting themselves or guys that looked like they just had come from prison and it was me and they'd send us out to the wilderness with a book of matches at a knife and said go I'll see you in three months and you learn how to survive and one of the main points of the book is socialists cannot survive in the wilderness

because they're just not self-sufficient. And one of the things you learn by being pushed out into the wilderness is you have to survive on your own. And I did, and my takeaway was that I never want to go back to the woods again. What's something about the book, either the process of writing it or something in it that you wish more people would ask about? Well, I think you have asked all the pertinent questions, Rachel. You have covered all the bases, and you've clearly read the book jacket.

and the release from the publisher. And that pretty much covers it. You've done a great job interviewing me. I love the Daily Signal. I actually have a Daily Signal T-shirt, and I like it so much because it's moisture wicking. Do you know what I mean by that? It's a performance material that doesn't cling like cotton.

And I wear it proudly. I'm a supporter of the Heritage Foundation. I used to book Heritage Guests for The Factor my entire career at Fox News, and you guys do your homework, and that's what I love about you. All right, well, before you go, I want to talk about some constructive criticism here. Looking at conservative media, where do you see room for improvement?

I wouldn't point specifically to things that people are doing wrong. I would just encourage them to do a little bit more confrontational interviews like I used to do. We used to go out to the streets and just stick mics in people's faces in their driveways. It's interesting. And we don't do that anymore. And that kind of can put the fear of God into people and help them change their ways. A lot of these judges were giving really soft sense. sentences to these sex offenders.

These predators were raping children and getting out in like six months. So one of the things we did was we went all across the country and started ambushing judges, politicians, district attorneys, and we actually got to a certain point where 45 out of the 50 states had changed their laws and had created Jessica's law, which was 25-year mandatory minimum first-time rape of a child. And that's something I'm very proud of. But we couldn't have done it without ambush tacked. All right.

Well, Jesse, thank you so much for being with us on The Daily Signal. Thank you. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to The Daily Signal podcast. You can find the Daily Signal podcast on Google Play, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and IHeartRadio. Please be sure to leave us a review and a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and encourage others to subscribe. Thanks again for listening and we'll be back with you all tomorrow. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of

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