Dream job disappointment: Testifying against Trump

The Conversation with Dasha Burns

POLITICO

News, Politics, Government

4.0 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2022

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sarah Matthews has a political resume similar to a lot of conservatives her age. At Kent State, she joined the College Republicans and made her first pilgrimage to the annual CPAC conference in Washington. Sarah interned on Capitol Hill for John Boehner and Sen. Rob Portman, both of Ohio. And then she got a job doing comms for Republicans on the Hill. But a few years later, in June 2020, she was working for Donald Trump. Like a lot of her colleagues, she was well aware of Trump’s flaws, but she agreed with his policies. When her mentor, Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany invited Sarah to be her deputy, Sarah didn’t think twice. It was a chaotic seven months, marked by the Lafayette Square protest incident, Covid, the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Then came Jan. 6. You probably remember Matthews from her primetime testimony to the Jan. 6 committee in July. She testified about her experience in the White House during the insurrection and how Donald Trump’s actions that day so disgusted her that she resigned that night. The January 6 committee is back next week, on October 13th, for its first hearing since the one at which Matthews appeared. Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza sat down with Sarah Matthews, former deputy White House press secretary, to hear the full story of what it was like for a young Republican to publicly break with the president, upend her career, and experience the full wrath of Trump and his supporters by cooperating with the January 6 committee. Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO.Sarah Matthews is a former White House deputy press secretary for the Trump administrationAfra Abdullah is associate producer for POLITICO audio.Kara Tabor is producer for POLITICO audio.Brook Hayes is senior editor for POLITICO audio.Adam Allington is senior producer for POLITICO audio.Jenny Ament is executive producer for POLITICO audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I just remember being like so overwhelmed because I'm like oh my gosh like I'm
0:06.8	right here with the president of the United States standing in the Oval Office on
0:10.9	my first day. Sarah Matthews grew up in Ohio in a politically active
0:15.4	Republican family. Her mom works in the district office of a GOP member of the
0:19.8	house and her dad is the director of the Board of Elections for the County.
0:24.4	She's now 27 and she has a political resume similar to a lot of
0:29.1	conservatives her age. At Kent State she joined the college Republicans and
0:33.7	made her first pilgrimage to the annual CPAC conference in Washington. Sarah
0:38.6	interned on the hill for John Bainer and for Senator Rob Portman both of Ohio
0:43.2	and then she got a job doing comms for Republicans on the hill. She knew Donald
0:48.3	Trump from the apprentice but she didn't take his candidacy very seriously in
0:52.1	2016. On election night she was as shocked as anyone when he defeated Hillary
0:58.9	Clinton. But a few years later in June 2020 she was working for Trump. Like a
1:05.5	lot of her colleagues she was well aware of Trump's flaws but she says she
1:10.7	agreed with his policies. It was more when I saw the way he governed that I bought
1:15.9	in to his agenda and everything because I was supportive of the things he was
1:20.1	accomplishing. When her mentor Trump press secretary Kaley
1:24.2	McEnany invited Sarah to be her deputy Sarah didn't think twice. That's like
1:29.9	everyone's dream if you're working in politics to get an opportunity to work at
1:33.1	the White House. It was a chaotic seven months. We had Lafayette Square, COVID is
1:38.7	raging, then we had Ruth Bader Ginsburg die, then we had the process of
1:44.5	trying to confirm a Supreme Court justice and then came January 6th. You're
	...

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