Sarah A. Matthews

Sarah Matthews (born April 20, 1995) is a former White House Deputy Press Secretary to the 33rd White House Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the 45th President of the United States from June 8, 2020 to January 7, 2021. During her time as the White House Spokesperson, Matthews gave statements to The Washington Post, NBC News, and Fox News Radio, and has since been featured by The New York Times.
She previously worked on the Trump Campaign, as a communications manager for the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, and as a press secretary for the Energy and Commerce Committee. Matthews is currently the communications director for the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, as of February 8, 2021.
Matthews was a press aide to numerous Republican representatives before joining Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, and eventually being selected by Kayleigh McEnany to join the White House press office as one of her deputies.
Early life
Sarah Anne Matthews was born in North Canton, Ohio to Republican political officials Jeffrey A. Matthews and Heidi R. Matthews (née Penrod). She has one sibling, Emily C. Hyde (née Matthews). She graduated from high school in 2013 and attended college the same year. In 2016, she interned for Rob Portman, John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Matthews graduated from Kent State University in 2017,
Matthews was a spokeswoman for Donald Trump in 2020, mostly responding to and providing damage control on controversies to the Trump Campaign, including criticism from Mary Trump and updates on the coronavirus pandemic. She described her experience as “a daily lesson in crisis communications,” that gave her the experience to “survive the most high-pressure jobs.”
House of Representatives
Between 2017 and 2019, Matthews worked in communications on two separate House of Representatives committees, the Republican Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Republican Homeland Security Committee.
Trump campaign and transition to Trump Administration
In 2019, Matthews was originally part of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Campaign for the 2020 election, after two years of working as a Republican aide in the House or Representatives, before transitioning to the White House.
In Feb. 2020, Matthews was criticized by CNN reporter Daniel Dale for misrepresenting unemployment figures. On Feb. 25, 2020 at 22:18, Matthews responded on Twitter, "Hi @ddale8, Here's a fact check for you: I work for the @realDonaldTrump campaign, not the White House!"
On June 9, four months later, Politico reported that Matthews had joined the White House staff under newly-selected White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany-Gilmartin, who filled the role on April 7, 2020 (replacing Stephanie Grisham).
Trump Administration
In June 2020, Kayleigh McEnany hired Sarah Matthews, along with Brian Morgenstern, Harrison E. Fields, and Charles "Chad" Gilmartin (her cousin-in-law via her husband Sean Gilmartin), as one of her deputy press secretaries, upon recently assuming the post of White House Press Secretary.
On July 7, 2020, Matthews defended President Trump against claims by his niece, Mary L. Trump, who alleged the President had an abusive childhood and cheated on his SATs. Matthews called the SAT claim “absolutely false,” and said Donald Trump had told her that his relationship with Fred Trump was “warm,” “loving,” “very good to him,” and “not hard on him at all.”
On Jan. 6th, 2021 Matthews resigned from the White House, and began applying to work in communications for House Republicans. Matthews is a supporter of the Republican Party.

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