Karoline Leavitt is stepping down as press secretary but will remain close to Donald Trump. Her departure following the birth of her second child presents the president with an unexpected challenge: finding a successor to one of the administration’s most loyal and combative voices.
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News of her departure was made public on Wednesday and was attributed to family reasons. Leavitt, 28, said that after her second daughter was born on May 1, she realized she could not continue devoting the time and commitment the job required without taking that time away from her children.
However, Trump does not intend to remove her from his team entirely. Describing Leavitt as one of his “most trusted aides,” the president announced that she would continue to contribute as an outside adviser.
In a short period of time, Leavitt became much more than Trump’s spokesperson. She earned the president’s trust and emerged as one of the most steadfast defenders of his policies.
Why is replacing her so difficult?
The role of press secretary in the Trump administration differs significantly from a conventional position. The president frequently revises his positions, personally engages in public debates and delivers his own message through social media, interviews and impromptu statements.
Leavitt’s ability to understand Trump’s communication style was an advantage that cannot easily be replicated. She spoke in the same register as his political base and often departed from the traditional format of answering questions during press briefings. Rather than responding to questions conventionally, she targeted the questions themselves, the journalists or their motives, turning the briefing into a political confrontation. This approach made her highly popular among Trump’s supporters.
Confrontation with the media
One of Leavitt’s most visible impacts at the White House involved reshaping relations with the media. The administration increased its control over seats allocated to journalists at presidential events and aboard Air Force One. Alongside established media outlets, broadcasters, podcasters and conservative media personalities were included in the traditional press pool.
The move was strongly opposed by traditional media organizations, which interpreted it as an attempt to diminish the influence of accredited journalists.
The conflict that attracted the most attention was with the Associated Press. The agency was barred from attending several White House events after refusing to revise its editorial guidelines for referring to the Gulf of Mexico following Trump’s decision to rename it the “Gulf of America.”
The president’s direct trust
One thing Leavitt’s successor may lack is a direct and trusted relationship with the president. Often present in the room during crucial moments, she was able to understand what Trump wanted before the position was communicated publicly. For this reason, her role was not limited to serving as spokesperson but also extended to acting as an intermediary between the president and the media.
If Trump appoints someone from outside his closest circle, the person who succeeds her may face far greater difficulty in establishing the same level of influence and authority.
Could Trump perform the role himself?
According to CNN, one possibility already likely to fuel speculation is that Trump may rely on what he does best: communicating directly himself. The president ranks among the most active political communicators in the US, while his posts, interviews and unscheduled appearances often attract more attention than traditional press briefings. But even that does not eliminate the problem.
The press secretary must answer dozens of questions every day, explain the administration’s decision-making and manage relations with journalists. Leavitt fulfilled these responsibilities using the same political language as the president.
In the eyes of Trump’s supporters, Leavitt is expected to continue playing an important role within the MAGA movement. Critics, meanwhile, will associate her legacy with the bitter conflict with the media and with a White House that expanded its control over how journalists reported on the president. Regardless of perspective, it remains clear that Trump is losing one of the people who understood better than most how to adapt his political style for the screen.
The president must now find not only someone who can speak on his behalf, but someone who can communicate like Trump. That is precisely what may make replacing Karoline Leavitt so difficult.
