Leavitt is leaving, and Trump is already looking at a different way to run White House briefings
WASHINGTON, DC: After White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt leaves the podium later this month, the position might not remain the same as President Donald Trump is weighing a whole different way of running the White House briefing.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday, August 12, announced her resignation and said that she will leave the demanding job at the end of the month to focus on her children and family.
Trump wants to hand over the briefing job to Cabinet
President Donald Trump is considering handing over the press briefing job to Cabinet officials, who are expected to handle the responsibility on a rotational basis, three sources familiar with the planning told CNN.
The tentative plan surfaces following reports that a long list is under review to fill Leavitt’s role, with Trump still in the earliest stages of deciding who should take one of the White House’s most critical and visible posts.
One of the sources said that the President has no clue about who to pick, and he “has expressed zero urgency” on the matter.
Trump is in no rush while officials push their preferences
While several Trump allies are trying to push for their preferred candidates, Trump appears in no hurry to find Leavitt’s replacement, as he has already figured out how the job is going to be done once the current secretary leaves.
A source familiar with the secret conversation told the outlet that some hopefuls have already been in touch with junior White House staffers to ask them to put in a good word.
According to another person familiar with the matter, others have directly pitched their preferred candidates, including advocates for Elizabeth Pipko, a former model and Republican National Committee spokesperson who was considered for the press secretary job during the presidential transition.
In inside conversations, White House officials laugh about pitching efforts, saying ultimately only Trump is going to decide who would replace Leavitt behind the Press Secretary podium.
Is Trump even looking for replacement?
It remains unclear whether Trump will even see a need to fill the job. As Leavitt and other aides frequently note, Trump has always served as his own spokesman through his all-hours Truth Social posts and willingness to give brief interviews to those who call his personal cell phone.
There are concerns over the demands of the job, one source with knowledge of these private conversations told the outlet.
“It’s an insane job. It’s a thankless job. And now they’ll have to follow and be constantly compared to Karoline,” that source said.