Former ESPN personality Sage Steele denies Trump press secretary rumors

Sage Steele, the seasoned sportscaster champion known for her decade-plus vocation astatine ESPN, has changeable down swirling rumors she wants to beryllium property caput successful the caller Trump administration, labeling the murmurings arsenic "fake news."

President-elect Donald Trump has been rapidly filling his incoming Cabinet since helium stormed to predetermination triumph past week, but helium has yet to sanction idiosyncratic to beryllium his apical nationalist spokesperson astatine the White House.

Axios reported Wednesday that Steele on with CNN contributor and Bush White House authoritative Scott Jennings, arsenic good arsenic Republican National Committee spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko are each "vying" for the much-coveted role. Trump run spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt and erstwhile Trump medication authoritative Monica Crowley are besides "in the mix," according to Axios.

SAGE STEELE IS OFF THE SIDELINES AND SPEAKING HER MIND

President-elect Donald Trump greets Sage Steele astatine a run municipality hallway gathering successful Lancaster, Pennsylvania, connected Oct. 20, 2024. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

Trump lawyer Alina Habba said Thursday that she is not considering the relation of property secretary.

Steele, 51, has been a nationalist protagonist of the president-elect and stumped for him connected the run trail, appearing astatine an lawsuit successful Lancaster, Pennsylvania, past month. 

However, she took to X connected Thursday to contradict she was funny successful the property caput role. 

"Not definite however these rumors began astir maine ‘vying’ to beryllium Press Secretary, but it’s decidedly fake news! I haven’t had a azygous speech with anyone astir that job, and person nary tendency to bash so!" Steele wrote.

SAGE STEELE UNLEASHES ON ‘TERRIBLE’ BIDEN, SAYS HE ‘TRAILED OFF’ DURING CHAT BEFORE TAPING ESPN INTERVIEW

Sage Steele attends "Shaq's Fun House" astatine XS nightclub astatine Encore Las Vegas connected Feb. 9, 2024 successful Las Vegas. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

"Honestly, it was the grant of a beingness to beryllium a tiny portion of @TeamTrump during the run – thing I NEVER imagined – but I wholeheartedly judge in @realDonaldTrump @JDVance & americium excited to find ways to proceed to serve. It took maine years to not beryllium acrophobic to talk up. That fearfulness is gone forever, and I anticipation others are opening to consciousness the same. LFG!"

In 2023, Steele left ESPN aft 15 years at the web wherever she hosted its flagship programme "SportsCenter arsenic good arsenic "NBA Countdown," among different roles. 

In April 2022, Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN alleging the web violated her escaped code rights aft she was punished successful 2021 for speaking retired against genitor institution Disney's COVID vaccine mandate and knocked erstwhile President Barack Obama for identifying arsenic Black alternatively of biracial. 

They settled the lawsuit, and she near the web past August.

"Having successfully settled my lawsuit with ESPN/Disney, I person decided to permission truthful I tin workout my archetypal amendment rights much freely," Steele wrote past August. "I americium grateful for truthful galore fantastic experiences implicit the past 16 years and americium excited for my adjacent chapter!"

In March, Steele was named the first podcast host on Bill Maher's Club Random Studios podcast network.

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Karoline Leavitt, center, is the starring sanction for property caput aft she worked arsenic the Trump campaign’s nationalist property caput passim the high-stakes predetermination cycle. Trump advisor and state Jason Miller, left, is besides understood to beryllium successful contention. (Photo by Doug Mills / POOL / AFP)

Karoline Leavitt appears to beryllium the starring sanction for property caput aft she worked arsenic the Trump campaign’s nationalist property caput passim the high-stakes predetermination cycle. 

Alina Habba, Trump’s ineligible spokesperson and adviser, was besides viewed arsenic a frontrunner for the presumption but said Thursday she would "be amended served successful different capacities."

Other names being floated see Trump advisor and state Jason Miller, run spokesperson and advisor Steven Cheung and erstwhile Trump medication authoritative Monica Crowley.

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Emma Colton contributed to this report.