Former ESPN personality Sage Steele is denying rumors she’s angling to become press secretary to President-elect Donald Trump.
Steele, who split with ESPN after 16 years in 2023, shot down a report by Axios she was “vying” for the high-profile job. Other more conventional contenders could include CNN contributor Scott Jennings, former Trump official Monica Crowley, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, and Trump attorney Alina Habba, according to Axios.
“Not sure how these rumors began about me ‘vying’ to be Press Secretary, but it’s definitely fake news! I haven’t had a single conversation with anyone about that job, and have no desire to do so!” Steele said.
She called supporting Trump and J.D. Vance’s campaign “the honor of a lifetime,” writing, “It took me years to not be afraid to speak up. That fear is gone forever, and I hope others are beginning to feel the same.”
During the run-up to last week’s U.S. presidential election, Steele was among the sports personalities supporting Trump, along with UFC boss Dana White, former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. Steele stumped for Trump on the campaign trail and moderated a town hall event with him in Lancaster, Pa., last month. Trump got her first name wrong, saying, “Let’s have a little fun, Paige.”
Steele was one of a few outspoken conservatives in her ESPN tenure, which functionally ended in 2021 after she appeared on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s podcast. In the podcast, she called vaccine mandates “sick” and “scary” and criticized former President Barack Obama for identifying as Black “considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found.”
Steele apologized and was suspended for the comments. While still an employee, she sued ESPN and parent company Walt Disney Co. in April 2022, alleging they violated her First Amendment and Connecticut free speech rights. The former SportsCenter and NBA Countdown anchor left ESPN in August 2023 after settling the lawsuit. Earlier this year, she sued her longtime CAA agents, accusing them of siding with ESPN when they should have protected her interests.
The press secretary job is often a launching pad for political personalities, rather than a job for established media figures. Recent press secretaries Jen Psaki (under Joe Biden) and Dana Perino (under George W. Bush) have turned their government gigs into lucrative cable news careers.
