Karoline Leavitt opens up about the real person behind her White House persona

A candid pre-briefing video shows the White House press secretary saying the combative persona seen in podium isn't who she is with family and friends
Karoline Leavitt drops the tough act and reveals her 'silly' side in candid video that has everyone talking. (by_brittany_danielle/Instagram)
Karoline Leavitt drops the tough act and reveals her 'silly' side in candid video that has everyone talking. (by_brittany_danielle/Instagram)

WASHINGTON,DC: For millions of Americans, Karoline Leavitt is the sharp-tongued White House press secretary who rarely lets reporters finish a question without firing back.

But a behind-the-scenes video is now making rounds online and has peeled back that public image, revealing a version of Leavitt that few people have ever seen. 

Posted on Saturday, July 25, the video shows Karoline sitting in a makeup chair before another busy day at the White House.

 The Trump administration's youngest press secretary then makes a surprising confession: the woman behind the podium isn't the woman her family and friends know.



Karoline Leavitt gets candid in viral clip

The viral clip wasn't filmed during an interview or an official White House event.

Instead, Leavitt was getting ready for the day while chatting casually with her hair and makeup artist, Brittany Danielle, who posted the video earlier on her Instagram Stories and later to the account.

The conversation began with a simple question. "What's something people don't know about you?" Danielle asked.

Leavitt laughed, hesitated and admitted she wasn't sure. Moments later came another question that changed the tone entirely.

"Are you funny, or are you boring?" Without missing a beat, Leavitt smiled.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

"I don't think people realize that I am silly. I'm funny, I think." 

"Because when I'm out of the podium, I'm getting after it," she said. "But I'm not like that in real life... you just have to get to know me to know the real me."

For someone known nationally for combative exchanges with the press, it was an unusually personal admission.

The rest of Danielle's behind-the-scenes posts looked nothing like a White House press briefing.

Instead of intense exchanges with reporters, viewers saw Leavitt strolling through White House corridors, laughing with staff members, walking alongside Lara Trump and preparing for another TV appearance.



Trump admits Karoline can get 'nasty'

Leavitt's revelation comes just as President Trump has once again publicly praised her performance.

At Friday night's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, Trump joked that while Leavitt could be "nasty" at the podium, the job often demanded it.

"She's done a fantastic job. We all love her," Trump told the audience. "She could be nasty, but sometimes she has no choice."

He then joked that perhaps no one in the administration had a more difficult assignment than facing the White House press corps every day.

Trump has been equally complimentary in previous appearances.

During a Newsmax interview last year, he described Leavitt as a "star" and praised everything from her confidence to her rapid-fire delivery.

"I don't think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline", Trump had said.

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