Huckabee Sanders pinch hits for Spicer at White House

Sarah Huckabee Sanders was the new face behind the podium Friday for the daily White House press briefing.

Huckabee Sanders pinch hit for White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who was serving on Navy Reserve duty, Huckabee Sanders said. 

Fox News’ John Roberts welcomed her to the podium, and she responded, “Does that mean you’re going to be super nice today?” 

Huckabee Sanders, Spicer’s top deputy, has briefed reporters in place of her boss before, but not on camera at the White House.

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There were fewer reporters in the briefing room than usual on Friday. Roughly 10 seats were empty, and the aisles that are usually full of journalists were mostly clear.

The last woman to conduct an on-camera daily briefing with the White House press corps was Jen Friedman, a deputy press secretary under President Obama. She briefed reporters in December 2016, days before she left her post. 

Dana Perino was the last woman to serve full-time as the White House press secretary, under former President George W. Bush.

Huckabee Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), served as an adviser on the Trump campaign before landing her White House post.