Donald Trump Frustrated as Sarah Huckabee Sanders Refuses to Endorse Him for President: “I Never Asked”

Tensions are running rife between Donald Trump and his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, over her assumed neutrality in the 2024 presidential election, people close to the two tell Axios.

Trump's irritation has recently escalated since Sanders' staff told his campaign that she would not make an endorsement until after her first legislative session in Arkansas. Despite the former president's substantial lead in early surveys, Sanders is one of several Republicans with national ambitions who are remaining neutral in the presidential primaries.

This is more problematic since Trump regards Sanders differently than other Republican leaders because he recruited her as his press secretary and sponsored her race for Arkansas governor. A Trump ally shared this as being, “You should always dance with the person who brought you.”

Trump's team sought Sanders, 40, for her endorsement in a phone call earlier this year, and she declined, the New York Times reported in March. Trump denied the report, writing on Truth Social: “I never asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders for an endorsement. I give endorsements, I don’t generally ask for them. With that being said, nobody has done more for her than I have, with the possible exception of her great father, Mike!”

The relationship might be even more strained because Sanders has also cultivated a friendship with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is Trump's primary opponent. She went to DeSantis' retreat with his notable contributors and a few other governors last year. Due to their recent battles with cancer, Sanders has also grown close to DeSantis' wife Casey. "Sarah reached out to Casey during her treatments and the same thing happened when Sarah had her experience," said one senior Republican close to both orbits.

The communications director for Sanders, Alexa Henning, gave Trump appreciation in a statement but refrained from endorsing him. "Governor Sanders loves President Trump and believes our country would be much better off under his leadership than President Biden, and that President Trump is the dominant frontrunner and our likely Republican nominee in 2024," Henning told Axios.

Her supporters believe she is focusing on her home state while also preparing for a potential run for president in 2028 or 2032. She has made an effort to fast build a national presence outside of her work for Trump. In the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns and debates over how schools should teach about racism and sexuality, Sanders' early platform has centered on public education, a topic that has energized the conservative base.

In March, she signed a comprehensive education package that forbade the teaching of gender identity or sexual orientation before the fifth grade, as well as anything like "Critical Race Theory." It also boosted the minimum wage for teachers and incorporated school vouchers.

Henning told Axios that Sanders is focused on her duties as governor and "not 2024, much less any election after that."

References:

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/19/huckabee-sanders-2024-neutrality-frustrates-trump

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/04/us/politics/trump-desantis-cpac-2024.html