White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds her inaugural official press briefing today at 1:00 PM in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. A key aide to President Donald J. Trump on the 2024 campaign trail, the 27-year-old now holds the distinction of being the youngest individual to be appointed White House press secretary—a title previously held by the 29-year-old Ron Ziegler, who served in the same capacity under President Richard Nixon in 1969.
Leavitt, a native of New Hampshire, previously served as the national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Additionally, she ran for New Hampshire’s first congressional district in 2022—aiming to unseat incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH)—but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Unlike her predecessors Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre in the Biden government, Leavitt is unlikely to enjoy a corporate media honeymoon period. Instead, the Trump White House press secretary is expected to face a more hostile media environment than that afforded to the Biden government press officials, especially with the national press focus on President Trump’s ongoing immigration enforcement actions.
The Trump White House and Leavitt are emphasizing the need to overhaul the traditional press environment at the White House to include more independent and alternative news outlets. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump successfully harnessed major podcasts and Internet-based media to reach a younger and more diverse audience—effectively expanding the MAGA movement and political coalition.