Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she is helping President Donald Trump select his next press secretary after his first pick for the job lasted just five days, making her the shortest-serving person ever to hold the position.
«I've offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well,» Leavitt said in an interview. She served as press secretary from the start of Trump's second term until Aug. 27, when she stepped down to spend more time with her two young children, including a daughter born in May.
Her successor, political commentator Katie Zacharia, took over earlier this month but departed after five days. Leavitt described the role as one of the hardest in politics and said it demands extensive preparation.
«White House press secretary is a tough job. I know that because I did it, obviously for almost two years, and many people say it's one of the hardest jobs in politics,» she said. «It takes a lot of preparation and sometimes you don't know how someone will perform until they go out there.»
Leavitt said she wished Zacharia well. «We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well,» she said.
She said Trump is still weighing candidates. «The president is continuing to look over options. There's a lot of people who want that job. It's an amazing job. It provides you with incredible opportunities,» Leavitt said.
Asked about any advice she has given Trump, Leavitt declined to share details but said she discusses the demands of the position with him. «I'll keep my private counsel to the president private, but I do obviously talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well,» she said.
She said the president understands what the role requires. «Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight,» Leavitt said.
Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, interned in the Trump White House after graduating from Saint Anselm College in 2019 and later became an assistant White House press secretary at the end of Trump's first term. After the 2020 election, she worked as communications director for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, then as spokeswoman for the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. before serving as press secretary for Trump's 2024 campaign.
After being named White House press secretary following the 2024 election, Leavitt became the youngest person ever to hold the role. She also ran for Congress in 2022, winning a contested Republican nomination in New Hampshire's 1st District before losing the general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.
Asked whether she might run for public office again in her home state when Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan is up for re-election in 2028, Leavitt ruled it out. «No, I'm all set. I don't have any plans to run for office in the near future at all, or in the future at all,» she said.
«I am home with my family, and we're really excited about that,» she said. «Right now I'm really focused on being a wife and a mother to my two very young children. That's why I made the decision to leave Washington. So we're just happy to be home and enjoying the ride.»
Leavitt is set to become a Fox News contributor at the start of November.