Gov. Sarah Sanders: 'Making Common Sense Great Again'

The Arkansas state motto is "The People Rule," and that's something Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes to heart.  As President Donald Trump's White House Press Secretary, she carried forth a "Make America Great Again" message. Now, in Little Rock, Governor Sanders sees her immediate goal as more, "Make Common Sense Great Again." 

"To me, it is absolutely insane, the things that are coming out of the Biden Administration," Gov. Sanders tells CBN News. 

Part of that reaction is due to federal changes to Title IX that now include "gender identity" as part of what is considered sex discrimination. Governor Sanders says she won't enforce Biden's revised rules, even if it means losing out on funding for sports and other activities.  

"We shouldn't need executive orders or lawsuits or pushback," Sanders says. "There are two genders. Science is very clear on this. There are men, there are women. And we want to protect that. I want to protect what is unique and special about being a woman and they want to erase that. We're not going to allow that to happen... I'm a mom, I have a daughter who plays sports and frankly, I think every single parent in the country should be outraged at what this administration is doing." 

When asked if objective truth, and more broadly, God is kind of under attack, she interrupts abruptly. "Kind of?!" she asks incredulously. "He was very clear. 'In the beginning, God created man and woman.' I mean, it doesn't get much more simple than that." 

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Sarah Sanders is currently making history as the first female governor in Arkansas history. While she's also the youngest governor in the country, that hasn't stopped her from taking bold actions. That includes changing state documents to now refer to those who give birth as a woman rather than a "Birth-giver." Driver's Licenses no longer have "X" to denote someone's gender. It's either male or female.

In her fight to protect children, Governor Sanders also signed a 2023 law making it easier to sue doctors who perform gender transitions on minors, after the courts blocked a state law banning those procedures. Now she's exploring ways to potentially limit a child's smartphone use.  

"I have a 12-year-old daughter," Sanders explains. "You look at the information out there and it's absolutely terrifying...I think so many people, so many parents in particular, don't realize the dangers and the access that their kids have, by putting a cell phone in their hand. They are opening up so many access points to their kids that if they knew about, they would never allow it to happen."   
  
These moves shouldn't surprise anyone, as Sanders made her perspective clear when she gave the 2023 State of the Union response a month after her inauguration, saying at the time that, "The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal, or crazy." She believes that philosophy gives her former boss a leg up in November. "I think it's one of the big reasons that you're seeing Donald Trump continue to climb in the polls because every single thing this administration does is anti-American, it's anti who we are."   

As for President Trump's current trial in New York, Sanders says it must be driving him stir-crazy. "He doesn't sit still well," Sanders tells CBN News. "He's somebody who needs to constantly be on the go, on the move, getting things done...Nobody else could take the level of attack and criticism that he does and continue to engage in the process. I think most people would be curled up in the corner, and yet he gets up and just keeps pushing and keeps moving forward."   
 
So could Trump move forward into the White House again? A lot depends on how women vote. Democrats believe abortion, in a post-Roe world, will help them with that demographic. Sanders sees that view as too simplistic.   

"Women are voting on the economy, they're voting on the border, they're voting on national security, they're voting on whether their schools are strong, their communities are safe," Sanders says. "I'm a parent, I care about a lot of different issues. Don't single me down and file me down to one thing."  
 
Speaking of the 2024 General Election, what about a woman like Sanders as Trump's VP? Her name has been mentioned as a possible pick. "Look, I love the job, I have been governor for a little over a year," the Arkansas governor tells us. "I look forward to having this position for the next six and a half. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure Donald Trump wins in November, defeats Joe Biden and gets him out of the White House." 
 
In the meantime, Governor Sanders will focus on her work at the statehouse in Arkansas. She's getting advice from a former governor, who just happens to be her father. "He is an amazing phone-a-friend," Sanders says, flashing a wide smile. "He is happy to give advice when I ask, but it's rare that he will offer it without me asking. So I try to tell him that if you see that I'm doing something I could do better, or should do differently, call me. But he is very careful to let me pave my own path." 
 
It's a path that's had many challenges, including a recent bout with thyroid cancer.  "It's pretty terrifying, to be honest," Sanders tells CBN News. "I can sit here today and say by the grace of God and amazing health care here in the state, I am 100% cancer free and I feel great. I'm very, very thankful but it certainly gives you a new perspective on life and reminds you of what's really important." 

For Governor Sanders, making a difference in people's lives is extremely important and it's a lesson she says she learned from her parents. 

"When you're in the chair and you're making decisions, you can take a step back and say, does this help or hurt people in my state?" Sanders explains. "If it helps them, go forward. If it doesn't, then walk away. If you put it in simple terms like that, the decision-making is a lot easier." 

She's making those key decisions daily and enjoying every minute of it. "I absolutely love what I get to do."