In April 2020, Kayleigh McEnany was officially dubbed the new White House press secretary. “She has been one of the strongest assets to the president’s reelection campaign with her keen mind, positive attitude, strong faith, and tireless work ethic,” Brad Parscale, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, said in a statement, per Fox News.
As expected, McEnany’s role as press secretary further propelled her fierce defense of the Trump administration, even in the face of alleged misinformation. According to an article by CNN, McEnany’s first official press briefing, during which she promised to “never lie,” was filled with many untrue statements. For instance, while speaking about former national security adviser Michael Flynn — who, in 2017, admitted to lying to the FBI about having Russian contacts — McEnany shared that special counsel Robert Mueller’s spent $40 million on his investigation, among other inconsistencies. A report from the Justice Department capped the investigation’s cost at $32 million.
Similarly, in June 2020, McEnany supported Trump’s decision to forcefully disperse peaceful George Floyd protesters in Washington D.C. for a photo op at St. John’s Church. “For this president it was powerful and important to send a message that the, rioters, the looters, the anarchists — they will not prevail — that burning churches are not what America is about,” she stated in a press briefing (per CBS News). Despite her growing unpopularity, McEnany served as Trump’s press secretary for nine months until President Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20, 2021.
