Kimberly Guilfoyle As Trump Press Secretary Nears Resolution

Kimberly Guilfoyle is reportedly still under consideration as White House press secretary in the incoming Donald Trump administration.

Although RNC spokesman Sean Spicer is still seen as the favorite for the job, the popular co-host of The Five on the Fox News Channel “is making a late push in the race for press secretary,” Politico reported, perhaps sharing the job with Spicer.

A ratings success, The Five airs Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern, with five panelists in the former Glenn Beck time slot. Beck has since become a #NeverTrumper.

Guilfoyle is supposedly on call to fly to Palm Beach to meet with Trump in the coming days to finalize any arrangements if it comes to that. The conservative firebrand and vocal Trump supporter during and after the presidential campaign reportedly met with Trump transition team members multiple times to discuss a possible post.

Giving up the Fox gig would be a significant pay cut for Guilfoyle (which perhaps explains why Laura Ingraham may have dropped out of contention). The sassy single mom would also have to uproot and move with her young son from New York City to Washington, D.C., a consideration for any family. Melania Trump, the president-elect’s wife, is said to be staying in Manhattan until son Barron finishes the school year.

On the other hand, any former press secretary can generally write his or her own ticket after leaving government service, and Fox would probably re-hire her in a New York minute. Former G.W. Bush press secretary Dana Perino is Guilfoyle’s on-air colleague on The Five.

The former California prosecutor and first lady of San Francisco when she was married to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom (a Democrat who is now his state’s lieutenant governor), Guilfoyle, 47, worked for Court TV and CNN before signing on with Fox News in January of 2006.

Guifoyle is still scheduled to anchor the Fox New Year’s Eve broadcast, and the network apparently has no plans to take her off the air during the Trump interview process, Business Insider suggested, despite the appearance of a conflict of interest. In addition to her work on The Five, Guilfoyle offers legal and political commentary on The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity, and other shows.

Further according to Politico, Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon is the insider who wants Guilfoyle to join the administration, even with Spicer in place.

“But she could be added to the team in an ancillary role, transition sources say, as a way to counter criticism that Trump has stacked his Cabinet with mostly white men. There’s also some consideration of splitting the press briefing duties between Spicer and a second press secretary, presumably a woman, according to a senior transition aide. A source close to Guilfoyle said it’s unlikely that she would give up her lucrative position at Fox News to be a part-time press secretary…

“Sources say Bannon made the case for Guilfoyle to Trump on Monday night at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach resort where he is spending the holidays. Following the meeting, Guilfoyle was told to remain on standby to come down to Florida for a meeting with Trump this week. Last week, Guilfoyle had a lunch meeting at Trump Tower where she met with senior transition staffers. The meeting was followed by a call at the end of the week with Bannon and senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. ‘There’s been growing interest in finding a role for Guilfoyle to share traditional press secretary duties,’ said a transition official.”

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Kimberly is the daughter of an Irish cop and a Puerto Rican schoolteacher and was born in San Francisco. She is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law and includes modeling for the Victoria’s Secret catalog on her resume.

For what it’s worth, FNC colleague Geraldo Rivera tweeted recently that KG “would be a great press secretary,” describing her as “smart, sharp, experienced” and “pleasant but strong.”

Assuming the economics and the substance of the job can be resolved, do you think that Kimberly Guilfoyle would make an effective press secretary for President-elect Donald Trump?

[Featured Image by Peter Kramer/AP Images]