Sarah Huckabee Sanders Outfits That Just Didn't Work

Sarah Huckabee Sanders was the second of the Trump administration's four press secretaries — and arguably the most memorable for many reasons, ranging from her outrageous whoppers to fierce media battles to the unforgettable and often just plain wrong outfits she rocked.

Since leaving the White House, Sanders has undergone a radical transformation. After being sworn in as Governor of Arkansas in January 2023, she's seemingly swapped the Talbots for Forever 21, dressing younger than ever before. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is Sanders' relationship with Donald Trump. Although she's no longer on the payroll, she's still toeing the party line. "Earlier this week, we saw how tough and resilient, courageous and daring this man is, and we can't get him back in the White House fast enough," Sanders declared during her 2024 Republican National Convention speech. "God spared President Trump because God is not finished with him yet."

Still, it wasn't her words of praise that had everybody talking. Instead, Sanders' remarkable weight loss immediately sparked Ozempic rumors, lighting up X, formerly Twitter. Critics also seized on her new clothing choices. "That's why Sarah Huckabee Sanders has lost a lot of weight on Ozempic and has started dressing like a teenaged girl," a social media fashion police officer wrote. "Perhaps Amber Rose could provide Sarah with the 411 on her stylist. Sort of a good will gesture," another sniped. Before Rose steps in, we're checking out some of Sanders' outfits that just didn't work.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders drew outfit inspiration from "Basic Instinct" in November 2017. However, unlike Sharon Stone, she wasn't being subjected to a police interrogation; instead, Sanders was holding a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. She also wasn't suggestively smoking a cigarette, and we can't confirm any leg crossing. Still, Sanders was flashing plenty of thigh, à la Katherine Trimble, as she sat perched upon her seat.

Sanders' blousy, flower-print mini dress and knee-high boots didn't work well as a White House outfit; they looked more appropriate for a night out with the girls. However, she believed in always putting your best foot forward. "When speaking for the president you always try to look your best — some days you do better than others," Sanders once emailed Anthony Scaramucci, according to The New York Times.

Sanders always plumped for a skirt or a dress rather than pants. It was a look that fitted with her boss' firmly fixed idea of how his female employees should look. A source who worked on the former president's campaign once claimed he likes women to "dress like women," according to a February 2017 Axios newsletter, adding, "Even if you're in jeans, you need to look neat and orderly."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders was ready to make an offer that couldn't be refused in January 2018. With her dark shades and stern expression, Sanders looked more like a mob boss heading for a night out at the Bada Bing! than a press secretary in the White House Rose Garden.

She was shadowing Donald Trump as he spoke to March for Life participants and Pro-Life leaders during the annual procession that occurs on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade — legislation that was famously overturned in June 2022, abolishing federal abortion rights. Democrats branded Sanders an "anti-choice extremist" over her pro-life stance, which includes opposition to abortion exceptions even in the event of rape and incest.

After becoming governor of Arkansas in January 2023, Sanders has pushed her hardline agenda, and the state's Department of Health recorded zero abortion procedures occurring in 2023. Practically one of the first things she did after taking office was to proclaim January 22 forever: "'A DAY OF TEARS IN ARKANSAS' and I urge all citizens to join voluntarily in solemn remembrance of the innocent unborn children who have lost their lives to abortion," she announced in a press release.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders' October 2020 outfit just didn't work. Following a Donald Trump campaign event, she was photographed hanging out with Ivanka Trump at Versailles in Miami, Florida. Ivanka was dressed in a pastel pink front button dress as she toasted the restaurant's owner with a cup of Cuban coffee. At the same time, Sanders was clad in what looked like some of her grandma's old wallpaper. The baggy pale green and white splodge sateen was far from flattering, hanging loosely around her frame.

When Sanders stepped up to the podium as the new White House press secretary in July 2017, The Hollywood Reporter called her the "most relatable woman in the West Wing" and praised her style as "a young 30-something professional woman with a real-world figure, dressing on a budget." She elaborated on her attire in an August 2017 email to The New York Times style section.

"One of the most important roles — not just as press secretary but in any position — is to convey honesty and transparency to the American people, and that's the image I'm most focused on," she wrote. This is ironic, given that Sanders was repeatedly accused of lying to the press during her nearly two years on the job.

One of the press outlets that praised Sarah Huckabee Sanders' girl-next-door casual approach to style was Slate. "Huckabee Sanders will probably remind you of a few people you already know. With her husky monotone, muted gestures, and long, dark hair, she's reminiscent of that girl in high school who'd skip class ... and goof off with her dude friends in the school parking lot, sort of a brooding Busy Philipps type," it wrote.

Sadly, the only person who came to mind when looking at Sanders' outfit in April 2019, which she wore for a Green Bay, Wisconsin, Make America Great Again rally, was the McDonald's Hamburglar.

Sanders was a crowd favorite at the event. Before taking the stage, she was met with roaring applause and loud chants of "Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" She took to the mic and referenced her skimpy cotton dress. "Obviously, I thought it was going to be warmer here in Wisconsin, but it's pretty hot here in this room tonight," Sanders said. Meanwhile, Donald Trump showed his affection for the then-press secretary by doing his best "The Apprentice" impression and fake firing her.

One of the Sarah Huckabee Sanders' outfits that just didn't work was her green dress — or dresses, as the case may be. Any media personality worth their salt knows to avoid wearing green on camera (unless lighting and camera settings are adjusted accordingly) because it is the standard color for chroma-keying, AKA green-screening.

Wearing it in front of the cameras allowed people to superimpose images onto the green area, as Sanders learned, to her dismay. The outfit's green-screening ability opened up a world of possibilities. "I was watching Goodfellas on her dress just this morning. I can never resist that movie," an X commenter wrote.

Why you never wear GREEN on TV🤗 pic.twitter.com/IsC8TuE3Ei

— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) July 28, 2017

Meanwhile, Cher was definitely not a fan of Sanders' dress sense. The singer took to X to fashion-shame her. "Would someone please tell Sarah Huckabee Sanders to stop dressing like a sister wife," she wrote in January 2018, alongside a photo of two fundamentalist Mormon women. Sanders' fans rushed to her defense. "Sarah can dress like 'high-school dropout' as long as she keeps hammering the s**t out of those dingbat liberal journalists. #FakeCher," one commented. "Cher is a hypocrite. She insults SHS about the way she dresses but is for women's rights, which to me means we should all support each other and not bring each other down," fumed another.