Getting kicked out of the Oval Office was certainly not Dana Perino’s first impression dream for meeting the president.
“It’s actually kind of a funny story,” she said looking back at the unfortunate situation.
Perino was requested to sit in with President George W. Bush during an interview as a stand-in for the communications director who was unable to attend. But due to the president’s adamance not to have information released through the press, her presence was no longer necessary, so she was dismissed from the room. It was an apparent mix-up, with no harm done. But even so, Perino said it was one of her “most embarrassing moments.”
Little did she know that she would later work alongside the president as his press secretary until the end of his Administration and during the process develop a lasting relationship with him.
Perino, now in the spotlight of national media on Fox’s “The Five,” sat down with Daily Wire Editor Emeritus, Ben Shapiro in October 2019 to reflect on her life’s work.
Perino’s career within the White House originated from an invitation from a friend in the Department of Justice following the 9/11 attacks. After serving as Deputy Press Secretary for three years, she assumed the role of press secretary, arguably one of the most demanding and criticized positions in Washington D.C.
“Nothing I do for the rest of my life will ever be this difficult or this important,” Perino said of her role in the final years of the administration.
Diligence and efficiency was the name of the game for Perino, who told Shapiro that she dedicated 85 percent of her consuming schedule to prep for the daily press briefing.
It was for this reason that President Bush informed every individual in the administration that “if you are at a meeting and you go back to your desk and you have a message that Dana Perino called, she’s the first person you call back.”
Perino’s efforts were often recognized by President Bush. The highest compliment he paid her, she said, was that “he was never surprised by a question from the press when [she] briefed him.”
“I [had] all the bases covered,” she said.
A unique relationship was forged between the two — strengthened by like-minded understanding and common characteristics. “I understood him, he understood me,” she explained. “In a lot of ways he was like a second father to me. If he, as Commander-in-Chief, had asked me to mop the floors for eight years, I would have done it.”
Because of their bond, criticism aimed at President George W. Bush also took a toll on Perino.
“It was frustrating,” she admitted. “I don’t know if you’ve ever worked with somebody that, you know, you have so much respect for them. And you see them behind closed doors and then in front of the camera, it doesn’t translate sometimes.”
Despite the negativity President George W. Bush received from the media, he had a great “respect for the First Amendment,” affirmed Perino. “And he also was his father’s son and so respect was to be given to the press.”
This mattered to Perino. Being too soft on the mainstream media outlets while behind the podium was one of Perino’s subtle critiques.
“Maybe that’s true,” she acknowledged. But looking back, she wouldn’t have done things differently.
“I also had good relations where, especially with the White House press corps, I don’t think I would change how I handled it. Because I used to think if I’m speaking at the podium, if the president were watching me, I would think, ‘would he be proud of what I was saying?’ And if the answer was no, I didn’t say it,” related Perino.
It is no longer a question but a fact that respect for the media has plummeted. President Trump is famous for “pointing out” fake news. But Perino agreed with Shapiro that media bias isn’t a new phenomenon. You simply “have to go back in time a little bit,” she said, to see the media attacks against President George W. Bush.
But Perino does believe some things have changed, including the method of political communication and the sweeping disapproval of the media.
“I think technology has changed a lot of things,” she observed. “In January of 2009, on the day that I [left] the White House, I didn’t even have a Twitter account.”
Perino thinks President Trump’s personal use of Twitter is merely turning another page of history — following the pattern of FDR using radio, Kennedy using television, and Obama’s team using Facebook. And that’s “whether you like the tweets or you don’t like the tweets,” she said.
The simple truth is that “the President of the United States communicates directly — not through the media.”
“I think it’s fascinating,” Perino commented, “and I still think there is a role for the press.”
To those who are increasingly skeptical of the press, whether justified or not, Perino encourages adopting a rule she practiced in the office: “Always read the article twice before you complain about it.”
Perino wasn’t always comfortable with standing on her own opinions. After leaving her Press Secretary work, Perino knew she wanted to “stay in the conversation.” In late 2010, Perino was confirmed to the Broadcasting Board of Governors and later was invited to be a part of a trial political commentary group, now known as Fox’s highly acclaimed show, “The Five”
The transition to the “The Five” came with it’s own obstacles for Perino. “I think the hardest thing was as Press Secretary, I was very used to explaining somebody else’s decisions,” she told Shapiro.
“I could tell you exactly why [President Bush] did it, what his opinion was — I knew all of that,” Perino explained. “It wasn’t until I came on “The Five” that I was challenged to say, ‘Well, what do you think?’”
Through this journey Perino has come to understand who she is and does her best to not let the crossfire within the cut-throat media industry rock her principles. She is convinced “civility is a choice.”
“I think I just have to be who I am,” asserted Perino. “But sometimes that doesn’t work so well on cable news. I’m not a fighter, really. I will argue my point. But I also have a longer term view of life and a legacy.”