Donald Trump has revealed that he plans to appoint his campaign spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, as White House press secretary in his next administration.
The White House press secretary’s role is typically to keep the American public informed about the president’s activities while safeguarding the president’s trust and confidentiality.
In a statement, the president-elect expressed confidence that Karoline Leavitt, a former congressional candidate and former member of the White House press office during Trump’s first term, would “excel at the podium and help deliver our message to the American people as we Make America Great Again.”
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be an effective communicator,” Trump added.
A New Hampshire native, Leavitt, 27, studied communications and political science at Saint Anselm College, a Catholic institution in her home state.
Leavitt started working for the first Trump White House shortly after graduating in 2019, initially as a presidential speechwriter and later as assistant press secretary, according to her campaign website for her 2022 congressional bid.
Following her time at the White House, Leavitt served as communications director for Elise Stefanik, a prominent Republican congresswoman whom President-elect Trump has nominated as the next United Nations ambassador.
After Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden, Leavitt became communications director for Elise Stefanik, the Republican U.S. representative who has since been chosen by Trump as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
In 2022, Leavitt ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire, winning the Republican primary. Although she lost the general election to Democrat Chris Pappas, the campaign seemed to provide her with valuable experience in public speaking.
In January 2024, she joined Trump’s third bid for the US presidency as his campaign press secretary.
During his 2017-2021 term, Trump had four press secretaries: Sean Spicer, Sarah Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany.
At 27, Leavitt will be the youngest White House press secretary in US history. Ron Ziegler was previously the youngest press secretary at age 29 when Richard Nixon gave him the position in 1969.
