Dana Perino shares how she secretly pushed back at reporters during White House briefings
- Dana Perino admits to secretly flipping off pesky White House reporters while plastering on a fake smile during W. Bush-era briefings.
- The secret weapon: a water cup strategically parked at the podium, shielding her middle finger from the prying eyes of the press corps.
- Perino now moans that social media has made today's briefings even worse, proving that the only thing growing faster than the press pool is their ego.
- Shockingly, this story wasn't buried in a state secret—it was in her 2015 memoir. Rush Limbaugh called it 'the best story ever,' which tells you everything about the caliber of both the story and its audience.
Brief Summary
Former White House press secretary Dana Perino spilled the beans—or rather, the water—on Sean Hannity's podcast, revealing she used her podium cup as cover to flip off aggressive reporters while maintaining her 'professional composure.' Apparently, smiling and nodding while mentally delivering a one-finger salute is the secret to surviving the briefing room circus. Perino claims reporters were more interested in their 15 minutes of TV fame than in actual answers, a trend she insists has only gotten worse with social media, so now she can flip them off from the comfort of her Fox News desk. The story, long buried in a 2015 memoir, resurfaces to prove that even the White House press office needed a little liquid courage to deal with the enemy press.
Why This Matters
For the average American, this is a glorious peek behind the curtain: our government is run by polite zombies hiding their true feelings behind a mask of civility and a plastic cup. It humanizes the press secretary role while simultaneously confirming that the adversarial relationship between the White House and the media is basically a schoolyard brawl with better suits. The real lesson? If you ever find yourself in a tense meeting, you don’t need to be diplomatic—you just need a strategically placed beverage and a hidden finger. But don't get too comfy; this also reminds us that those 'balanced' briefings were never about truth, just theatrics. So next time you see a press secretary smile, you might want to check what their other hand is doing.