Why has the White House communications director Alyssa Farah resigned?
After over three years in government, the White House communications director Alyssa Farah has resigned. What’s the real reason behind her sudden move?
Alyssa Farah, 31 years old, took the White House post earlier this year but has worked in several posts in the administration since 2017. First she worked as press secretary for Mike Pence, then in 2019 she was press secretary in the Pentagon and was the youngest-ever spokeswoman there. Then in April 2020, Farah returned to the Oval Office as director of strategic communications.
Before joining the Trump administration, Farah was a spokesperson for Mark Meadows (at the time Republican - North Carolina), who is now the president's chief of staff, when Meadows was a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Alyssa Farah: quits to pursue new opportunities
Her letter to the press was first reported by the Washington Post, who call the move "a tacit nod to Trump's loss." In it, Farah said she's leaving to "pursue new opportunities" and that serving in the administration had been "the honor of a lifetime."
She added that she was "deeply proud of the incredible things we were able to accomplish to make our country stronger, safer, and more secure," citing accomplishments including peace deals abroad and the return of American hostages.
“Under this Administration, the ISIS caliphate was destroyed, American hostages were returned home, NATO is stronger than ever, we’ve brokered historic Middle East peace deals, and I was on the ground in Kabul for the announcement of a historic peace deal between the Afghan Government and the Taliban aimed at ending America’s longest war,” Farah wrote.
Donald Trump tweeted yesterday after the news was announced that Farah was “A great person who did a fantastic job. Thank you Alyssa!”
Farah: publicly silent on Trump's voter fraud allegations
Acknowledgement of the impending dissolution of the Trump administration, as well as potential ideological differences may be what’s really behind Farah’s resignation. The communications director has notably stayed clear of publicly supporting the president’s on going attacks on the validity of the election results, without any tangible evidence. Instead, she has been careful to focus her messaging in recent weeks on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine news.
On the Saturday after the election, when the presidency was called for Joe Biden, Farah offered a positive message to peace on Twitter, writing, “There is more that unites us as a Nation than divides us.”
What will Alyssa Farah do next?
According to the Washington Post, Farah will finish today and her plan going forward is to start up a consulting firm focusing on the corporate, political and defence sectors.