In a surprise announcement, President-elect Donald Trump has tapped his campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt to serve as the next White House press secretary. At just 27 years old, Leavitt will be the youngest person ever to hold this prestigious and high-profile role.
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” Trump said in a statement. “I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium and help deliver our message to the American people as we make America great again.”
A native of New Hampshire, Karoline Leavitt studied communications and political science at Saint Anselm College before cutting her teeth in the world of press relations. She gained valuable experience interning at Fox News and in the press office during Trump’s first term in the White House.
“I helped prepare Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for high-pressure briefings [and] fought against the biased mainstream media,” Leavitt’s campaign website stated when she ran for Congress in 2022.
After losing that congressional race, Leavitt joined Trump’s third presidential campaign as the national press secretary. He noticed her spirited defense of the president-elect in media interviews and now tapped her for the top communications job.
At 27, Leavitt will surpass the previous record holder, Ron Ziegler, who Richard Nixon appointed press secretary at age 29 in 1969. This will make Leavitt the youngest person ever to stand behind the iconic White House press room podium.
The public will soon see Leavitt in action as she steps into the role previously held by a revolving door of press secretaries in Trump’s first term, including Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany.
Sanders, of course, went on to win the Arkansas governorship after leaving the White House. Grisham resigned after the January 6th Capitol riot and has become a vocal Trump critic. McEnany has continued to advocate for the president-elect as a Fox News personality.
Now it will be Leavitt’s turn to face off with the press corps, navigating the often-tense exchanges that have become a hallmark of Trump’s combative relationship with the media. Leavitt has proven herself to be a tenacious defender of the president, and Trump is betting that her youth and aggressiveness will serve him well as he embarks on his second term.
“I helped prepare Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for high-pressure briefings [and] fought against the biased mainstream media,” Leavitt’s campaign website stated.
Those experiences, coupled with her recent stint as the communications director for Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, have seemingly prepared Leavitt for the pressure-cooker environment of the White House press room.
Leavitt’s new role will involve articulating the administration’s positions, responding to reporters’ questions, and shaping the narrative around the president’s policies and actions. Although it’s a challenging task for someone so young, Trump evidently has faith in her abilities.
The president-elect said Leavitt’s “smart, tough” persona and “highly effective” communication skills make her the perfect choice to serve as the public face of his second term. Time will tell if the 27-year-old can rise to the occasion and establish credibility with the press corps—all while staying fiercely loyal to her boss in the Oval Office.