President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick of campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt to serve as press secretary 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 said in a statement Friday evening.
“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, will be the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history, unseating Nixon administration press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he served in the role from 1969-1974.
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Karoline Leavitt is seen leaving Trump Tower in New York, New York, April 25. (Getty Images/MEGA/GC Images)
Leavitt served as the campaign’s national press secretary, rallying support for Trump while also working as his fierce defender amid political attacks from the Harris campaign and Democrats.
“They forced him to take a mug shot. They tried to remove his name off of the ballot. They forced him to sit in a dirty courthouse for six weeks. Two people tried to kill him, for goodness sake,” Leavitt said last week on “Fox & Friends” following the election. “And the American people see, in Donald Trump, is clear a leader who even in the darkest of times is going to lift his fist in the air and say, ‘fight, fight, fight’ for this country.”
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“Democracy appeared to be the number one issue for voters. It’s clear that the American people believe President Trump is the best candidate to preserve our democracy. And it shows the Democrats’ message in these final weeks of the campaign that he’s this alleged threat to democracy just didn’t work in the eyes of the American people,” she added.
Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt in New York City, May 29. ( Doug Mills/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Leavitt previously served in Trump’s first administration as assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany’s tenure. In 2022, the New Hampshire native launched a congressional campaign to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District, winning the primary but not the general election.
Speculation had mounted that Trump would likely name Leavitt for the role, while other names were also floated, such as Trump’s legal spokeswoman and adviser Alina Habba, President George W. Bush aide and CNN contributor Scott Jennings, or longtime Trump adviser and ally Jason Miller, or campaign spokesman and adviser Steven Cheung.
Trump named Cheung communications director earlier Friday. Other names floated as potential contenders included former ESPN host Sage Steele, RNC spokeswoman Elizabeth Pipko and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley.
Then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Mint Hill, N.C., Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
In 2016, Trump announced Sean Spicer as his first press secretary, who served in the position from Jan. 20, 2017, to July of that year. Trump’s first administration also saw Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who currently serves as governor of Arkansas, Stephanie Grisham and McEnany.
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Trump’s second administration is already coming together at a much faster pace than during his 2016 transition phase, naming more than 20 picks just over a week after Election Day, including high-profile choices such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to lead the State Department; and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as attorney general.
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“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy roll-out of Cabinet picks earlier this week.