President-elect Donald Trump has named Karoline Leavitt as his White House press secretary, ending days of public speculation about who would fill the highly visible role for his upcoming administration.
“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary,” Trump wrote in a statement.
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. 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.”
Leavitt, 27, is the latest choice made by Trump in a presidential transition that has selected some younger candidates for crucial positions.
Vice President-elect JD Vance is 40, the same age as the prospective Ambassador to the United Nations Elise Stefanik.
While other high-profile picks have been members of the Millennial or Gen X cohort, Leavitt will be a representative of Generation Z.
The Republican was 25 when she ran to represent New Hampshire’s 1st District in 2022. She lost to first-term Democrat Chris Pappas by just over 8 percentage points.
Leavitt served as assistant press secretary during Trump’s first presidency. She later worked for Stefanik as communications director.
She has served as spokeswoman for the transition process after Trump’s reelection earlier this month.
Leavitt has tangled with the press during her time as an advocate for Trump. Several months ago, she was kicked off CNN by host Kasie Hunt for speaking critically about CNN host Jake Tapper, a moderator of the one and only Trump–Biden debate this cycle.
A Christian, the Saint Anselm College graduate is married and has a son, Nicholas Robert.
She will replace White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who has held the position since 2022. Her predecessor in the Biden White House was Jen Psaki, who has gone on to host a show on MSNBC, “Inside With Jen Psaki.”
The choice garnered praise from Kayleigh McEnany, another former Trump press secretary for whom Leavitt once worked. McEnany is now co-host of the Fox News program “Outnumbered” and appears on other programming on that network.
McEnany was the first Trump White House’s final press secretary, closing out an administration marked by considerable turnover at the podium.
Before her, Stephanie Grisham held the role. Grisham succeeded Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is today the governor of Arkansas, a position once occupied by her father, Mike Huckabee. Sanders followed Sean Spicer, who today hosts the Sean Spicer Show.
