Conservative commentator and talk show host Ben Ferguson said he might be in the run to become the White House’s next press secretary, saying he knew his name “has been floated.” During an appearance on Fox News, when asked whether he is up for this job, Ferguson said “Look, my name has been floated around...
Page A235From§Eachthe afternoon edition — 11 November 2026
Ferguson floats own name for press secretary job, lands it on himself
As it ran on the front
The podium has had two occupants since the end of August, and the record shows two orderly transitions. Two — I'll stop there, because counting past two this morning forces conclusions I am not yet prepared to draw, and because the second transition took five days. Let me start over, in order.
By October 5 the Guardian had her landing at Fox News as an on-air contributor — a clean handoff, no complaint here. That is a different seat than the one we are discussing. I note it only because the record should show the bench was not empty; it was, at that point, simply unoccupied at the top.…
…(cont) The top went unoccupied for forty days. The Washington Examiner had Katie Zacharia set to give her first briefing on the morning of October 13, which she did, on camera, taking questions, and the blackout count the Hill had been running reset to zero. This is what a return to normal briefings looks like. Five days, start to finish. The clock Scaramucci quipped was running had, in fact, been running.
Which brings us to today, three weeks on. Ben Ferguson told Fox News his name "has been floated" for the podium. A floated name needs a floater, and the record should note that the one name floated here was floated by the one man it names, on the air, answering a question about himself. One count. One floater. Himself.
I raise this because the seat is evidently open again, and I would like the record to reflect that I am, by the standard lately applied, a qualified candidate — never licensed to practice law in any state, never stood at the podium, happy to be considered. That's not — strike that. I don't know why I said that. What I mean is the vetting process will no doubt catch any of this before the next person reaches the microphone, the same way it caught it last time: four days after she was already standing there.
“Three weeks after the last guy — sorry, the last woman — lasted five days for lying about being a lawyer, the next name for the job is a Fox host who floated himself on Fox. That's not a vetting process, that's a greenroom. They tell you there's no qualified candidates; there's a candidate, he's just also the guy auditioning on camera for the job of defending the audition.”
“Look, turnover at that podium shows a White House unafraid to move fast and course-correct — that's accountability, not chaos. And Ben Ferguson floating his own name isn't some insider fix, it's an open process, the most transparent — did I say transparent? That's not the word I meant to use about a process where the guy floating the balloon and the guy the balloon is about is the same guy.”
Earlier in this story
- Press secretary race narrows to a joke the president walked back and the aide fired after five days. By Chip · the evening edition, 9 November 2026
- Dana White declines Trump's press secretary offer, then boards flight to Washington to discuss it. By Lou · the morning edition, 8 November 2026
- Podium that broke over a bar exam now offered to UFC boss told to bring fighters as aides. By Lou · the evening edition, 7 November 2026
- The predecessor who quit the podium now hires whoever replaces the successor who couldn't hold it five days. By Mort · the morning edition, 22 October 2026
- White House ends forty-day briefing blackout with fourteen minutes, three friendly reporters, and a press secretary who answered "when I moved to China" when asked where she passed the bar; normal briefings resumed Tuesday and concluded Friday. By Chip · the evening edition, 18 October 2026
The receipts
· WATCH LIVE: Katie Zacharia to give first White House press briefing from the morgue, 13 Oct 2026
· Trump’s former press secretary Karoline Leavitt to join Fox News from the morgue, 5 Oct 2026
· White House defends new press aide who posed with rifle in ‘Fuck Joe Biden’ shirt from the morgue, 4 Oct 2026
· Scaramucci replaced by shorter unit of time - a Zacharia from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· White House press secretary out after less than a week from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· Embattled new White House press secretary Zacharia 'let go' from her role from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· Katie Zacharia fired after five days as White House press secretary from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· Katie Zacharia admits she never passed legal exams – video from the morgue, 16 Oct 2026
· White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announces his intention to resign as White House Press Secretary due to Donald Trump's appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as the White House Communications Direc from the morgue, 21 Jul 2017
· Scaramucci quips about new press secretary Zacharia's tenure: 'The clock is running' from the morgue, 13 Oct 2026
· Who is Katie Zacharia, Trump’s next White House press secretary? from the morgue, 9 Oct 2026
· Russia’s Lavrov blasts US, Western allies as “warmongers’ in fiery UN tirade from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· Russia and China unite against US over Iran and Cuba in UN speeches from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba from the morgue, 26 Sep 2026
· The United Nations Security Council has resoundingly rejected a United States bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran. In a Security Council vote, United States only got support from the Dominican from the morgue, 14 Aug 2020
· U.S. Threatens New Economic War on Iran by Targeting China & Tehran's Other Top Trading Partners from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· In Defiant UN Speech, Iranian President Says US and Israel Are the Real Terrorists from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· Trump slams reporting on removal of his endorsements from GOP candidate's website from the morgue, 27 Sep 2026
· Donalds removes several Trump mentions from campaign website from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· GOP hopeful removes ‘Pro-Trump’ mention from campaign slogan in deep-red seat from the morgue, 23 Sep 2026
· Where Trump’s 2026 endorsement record stands after primary season from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says "I can't stay in business" amid rising costs from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie says he’s convinced enough Republicans to pass Epstein Files II discharge petition from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Trump Hammered Over Iran War That Drove Gas Prices Above $4 Per Gallon Every Day in August for First Time Ever from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Warsh under pressure as Fed weighs rate hike from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Inflation held at 3.4% in August in consumer price index, creating tough choice for Warsh Fed from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Warsh indicates Fed could raise rates to cool inflation from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Key U.S. Bond Rate Near 20-Year High as Oil Prices Keep Climbing from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007, oil surges above $105 as Fed expected to hike interest rates from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits 14-month high as bond yields keep rising from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits highest mark in over a year from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.