Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt named as next White House press secretary

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named Karoline Leavitt, his marketing campaign press secretary, to function his White Home press secretary.

Leavitt, 27, at the moment a spokesperson for Trump’s transition, could be the youngest White Home press secretary in historical past. Beforehand that distinction went to Ronald Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the place in 1969 in Richard Nixon’s administration.

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“Karoline Leavitt did an outstanding job because the Nationwide Press Secretary on my Historic Marketing campaign, and I’m happy to announce she is going to function White Home Press Secretary,” Trump mentioned in a press release. “Karoline is sensible, powerful, and has confirmed to be a extremely efficient communicator. I’ve the utmost confidence she is going to excel on the podium, and assist ship our message to the American Folks as we Make America Nice Once more.”

Leavitt replied in a submit on X, previously Twitter: “Thanks, President Trump, for believing in me. I’m humbled and honored. Let’s MAGA,” the acronym for “Make America Nice Once more.”

The White Home press secretary sometimes serves as the general public face of the administration and traditionally has held every day briefings for the press corps.

Trump disrupted these norms in his first time period, preferring to function his personal chief spokesperson. Whereas he was president from 2017 to 2021, Trump had 4 press secretaries however continuously most well-liked to interact immediately with the general public, from his rallies, social media posts and his personal briefings.

At a information convention this previous August, Trump was requested if he’d have common press briefings in his new administration. He instructed reporters, “I gives you whole entry and also you’ll have a number of press briefings and also you’ll have, uh, from me.”

When it got here to a press secretary, he mentioned: “In all probability they’ll do one thing. If it’s not every day, it’s going to be rather a lot. You’ll have greater than you need.”

Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, is seen as a staunch and camera-ready advocate for Trump who’s fast on her ft and delivers aggressive defenses of the Republican in tv interviews.

She labored as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a brilliant PAC supporting Trump, earlier than becoming a member of his 2024 marketing campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, profitable a 10-way Republican main earlier than dropping to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

Throughout Trump’s first time period in workplace, Leavitt labored within the White Home press workplace. She then grew to become communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom Trump has tapped to function his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump’s first press secretaries, Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, had been recognized for quarreling with reporters. One other, Stephanie Grisham, by no means held a briefing. Her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, usually lectured the information media throughout her appearances within the White Home press briefing room.