Fox News host may join staff at White House
Fox News tamped down speculation that its primetime personality Kimberly Guilfoyle is in talks with the Trump White House about joining its communications team.
Guilfoyle, who is a cohost on Fox News Channel’s “The Five,” told the San Jose Mercury News she has had conversations with the administration about joining the White House’s communications team.
But late Tuesday, Fox News issued a statement that indicated a move to Washington is not imminent.
“Kimberly is a valued member of the Fox News prime-time lineup, and is under a long-term contract with the network,” a Fox News representative said in a statement.
Through a spokesperson, Kimberly Guilfoyle said, “As I stated in the interview, I really love what I do and my job co-hosting ‘The Five’ is tough to beat.”
The surfacing of her name comes after numerous reports that President Trump is unhappy with the performance of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and is looking to make a change.
“I’m a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country,” Guilfoyle told the Mercury News when asked about her interest in the position. “I think it’d be a fascinating job. It’s a challenging job, and you need someone really determined and focused, a great communicator in there with deep knowledge to be able to handle that position.”
Fox News typically requires its commentators to leave the air once they are in negotiations to join an active political campaign or take a government position. But Guilfoyle will be on the Tuesday edition of “The Five.”
Guilfoyle has been with Fox News since 2005 as part of its daily talk show, which was moved into a primetime slot following the April 19 firing of the network’s longtime anchor Bill O’Reilly.
She is a former San Francisco and Los Angeles prosecutor. She is the ex-wife of former California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a prominent liberal Democrat who is running for governor. The couple divorced in 2005.
Fox News is the preferred network of Republican and conservative viewers as its commentators — including Guilfoyle — are largely positive in their assessments of Trump.
In tweets last week, Trump appeared to express unhappiness with how his communications team handled the uproar he created with his decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey.