Sarah Huckabee Sanders has weathered several controversial moments, but she’s also dealt with many tragedies, most of which stemmed from her association with President Donald Trump. Huckabee Sanders served as Trump’s second press secretary during his first term, and her time in the White House was tumultuous. She was constantly accused of outright lying to the media and caught in a few fibs by eagle-eyed reporters. When Huckabee Sanders told The New York Times, “I don’t like being called a liar,” it sent the media into a tizzy and spawned several headlines. 

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During her tenure as a member of the Trump administration, Huckabee Sanders dealt with a lot of hate — online and in person. One such incident took place in 2017 when she was photographed visiting South Korea with Trump. Photographs of one of the U.S. army officers offering Huckabee Sanders his jacket went viral after the press secretary’s father, Mike Huckabee, posted it on X, formerly Twitter. “Tribute on this Veterans Day to US Army Chinook pilot Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Zizelman-“An Officer and a Gentleman” who helped @PressSec from freezing. @realDonaldTrump should promote him! Of course libs go nuts about it.” 

Someone did go nuts about it. Judy Cole, who, at the time, was a professor at the University of Memphis, took to X to write, “If she [Huckabee Sanders] froze to death, she wouldn’t be missed” (via Commercial Appeal). Soon, furious pundits were criticizing the comment, shocked that Cole, who taught nursing, would write something like that on a social platform. “Nurses have biases but hate for other humans is just plain disgusting!” one person wrote. Mike Huckabee also responded to Cole’s tweet, writing, “I feel sorry for someone so hateful and vicious.” Huckabee Sanders didn’t publicly comment on the whole affair. 

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Because of her association with the Trump administration, Sarah Huckabee Sanders found herself in an awkward situation when she and her family visited the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, and was asked to leave the establishment by the owner, Stephanie Wilkinson. Speaking to The Washington Post after the incident, Wilkinson said she consulted with her staff before asking Huckabee Sanders to leave, saying the restaurant didn’t want to serve someone who works for an “inhumane and unethical” administration. This came after President Donald Trump cracked down on immigration policy, leading to children being separated from their parents at the border.

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Huckabee Sanders didn’t need to be asked twice. She left the establishment and later posted on X, “Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.” Huckabee Sanders’ father, Mike Huckabee, later elaborated on the incident while speaking to Fox News, claiming that, after his daughter and her family left the Red Hen, the owner continued to harass them as they made their way to a nearby restaurant. “The owner of the Red Hen then organized an effort to go and scream at them from the sidewalk at the other restaurant,” Huckabee said.

The 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner made plenty of headlines, mostly because of comedian Michelle Wolf’s brutal roasting of Sarah Huckabee Sanders during the event. No one in attendance was spared, but it might be safe to say Huckabee Sanders got the brunt of it. Wolf called out the then-press secretary for repeatedly lying to the media and supporting an administration that was attempting to dismantle women’s reproductive rights. “We are graced with Sarah’s presence tonight. I have to say I’m a little star-struck,” Wolf started (via NBC News). “I love you as Aunt Lydia in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.'” Wolf went on to call out Huckabee Sanders for lying to the press, calling her “resourceful,” adding, “She burns facts, and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye. Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s lies. It’s probably lies.”

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Throughout the roast, the camera repeatedly panned to Huckabee Sanders, who was trying to keep a straight face but was clearly dismayed at Wolf’s words. In one of many surprising details from Huckabee Sanders’ book, “Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House,” the former press secretary admitted that the 2018 Correspondents’ Dinner isn’t one she looks back on fondly. “It wasn’t funny—it was cruel,” Huckabee Sanders wrote. “As I sat listening to her hateful comments, I debated walking out or perhaps even throwing my wineglass at her. But ultimately I stayed in my seat and held my head high.” Although the Correspondents’ Dinner traditionally features a comedic roast, Trump’s administration and Huckabee Sanders didn’t seem to appreciate the tradition.

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For those wondering what happened to Sarah Huckabee Sanders after she left the Trump administration, the former press secretary actually dealt with some serious health issues. In a statement she posted to X in September 2022, Huckabee Sanders shared her diagnosis with the public, saying the cancer was discovered after she went for a checkup and doctors noticed something amiss. “My doctor ordered a biopsy on an area of concern in my neck and the test revealed that I had thyroid cancer,” the statement read. Huckabee Sanders added that she’d undergone successful surgery and was cancer-free. She included a statement from her doctor, who assured the public that she was recovering well and had an “excellent prognosis.” Huckabee Sanders’ entire thyroid gland had to be removed, however.

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Cleveland Clinic notes that having the thyroid removed means patients need to take chronic medication to keep their body functioning properly without natural thyroid hormones. If patients fail to take this medication, they develop hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid), which leads to a slew of other unwanted symptoms, like weight gain, dry skin, and extreme tiredness, according to the Mayo Clinic. So, while Huckabee Sanders might be cancer-free, she’ll need to take medication for the rest of her life to stay healthy.