President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice of campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt to serve as his next administration’s press secretary.
“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as national press secretary during my historic campaign, and I am pleased to announce that she will serve as White House press secretary,” Trump said in a statement Friday evening.
“Karoline is smart, tough and has proven herself to be a very effective communicator. I am confident she will excel on the podium and help us deliver our message to the American people as we seek to Make America Great Again.”
Leavitt, 27, will be the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history, surpassing Nixon administration press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he served in the role. 1969 to 1974.
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Karoline Leavitt leaves Trump Tower in New York on April 25. (Getty Images/MÉGA/GC Images)
“Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am touched and honored. Let’s do MAGA!” Leavitt wrote in an article on X Friday evening.
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 photo ID. They tried to remove his name from the ballot. They forced him to sit in a filthy courthouse for six weeks. Two people tried to kill him , for God’s sake,” Leavitt said last week. on “Fox & Friends” after the election. “And the American people see, in Donald Trump, a clear leader who, even in the darkest moments, will raise his fist in the air and say ‘fight, fight, fight’ for this country.”
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“Democracy emerged as 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 that shows the message from Democrats in these final weeks of the campaign “Democracy just wasn’t working in the eyes of the American people,” she added.
Karoline Leavitt, press secretary for the Trump campaign, in New York, May 29. (Doug Mills/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Leavitt previously served in the first Trump administration as deputy press secretary during 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 it was expected that Trump would likely nominate Leavitt for the role, while other names have also been floated, such as Trump’s legal spokesperson and advisor Alina Habba, President George W. Bush’s aide and CNN contributor Scott Jennings, Trump’s advisor and ally longtime Trump veteran Jason Miller, or campaign spokesperson and advisor Steven Cheung.
Trump named Cheung communications director earlier Friday. Other names that have been floated as potential suitors include former ESPN host Sage Steele, RNC spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko and former Trump administration official Monica Crowley.
Former President Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, September 25. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
In 2016, Trump announced Sean Spicer as first press officerwho held this position from January 20, 2017 to July of the same year. The first Trump administration also saw Sarah Huckabee Sanders, currently governor of Arkansas, Stephanie Grisham and McEnany.
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The second Trump administration is already coming together at a much faster pace than during its 2016 transition phase, nominating more than 20 picks just over a week after Election Day, including high-profile figures like as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to oversee the department. health and social 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 with a large majority, giving him a mandate to follow through on the promises he made on the campaign trail – and his Cabinet choices reflect his priority of prioritizing “America. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and skills to make America great again,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked. ‘asked about Trump’s rapid rollout of Cabinet picks more early this week.
Stepheny Price of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.