Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is helping President Donald Trump search for another press secretary after political commentator Katie Zacharia lasted only five days in the high-pressure role.
Speaking Wednesday evening during an exclusive interview [1] with Fox News Digital in Manchester, New Hampshire, Leavitt said she had offered Trump her assistance as he considers candidates for one of the most visible jobs in Washington.
“I’ve offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt served as White House press secretary from the beginning of Trump’s second term until Aug. 27. She left the demanding position to spend more time with her two young children, including a daughter born in May.
Zacharia took over earlier this month, but her tenure ended after just five days. That brief stint made her the shortest-serving White House press secretary in United States history, leaving Trump to consider yet another choice for the podium.
Leavitt said the White House press secretary position demands extensive preparation and ranks among the toughest jobs in politics. She added that the pressures of the position can expose whether someone is suited for it only after that person steps into public view.
“We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well,” Leavitt said, offering a candid assessment of Zacharia’s remarkably quick departure.
Trump, meanwhile, is still reviewing possible replacements, according to Leavitt. She said 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 declined to disclose the specific guidance she has given Trump during the selection process. “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 also laid out the characteristics Trump needs from the next person who represents his administration before the press. Those qualities include toughness, intelligence, command of his policies, and loyalty to the president.
“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.
The New Hampshire native began her White House experience as an intern in the Trump administration after graduating from Saint Anselm College in 2019. She later became an assistant White House press secretary near the end of Trump’s first term.
Following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Leavitt worked as communications director for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. She then became a spokeswoman for the Trump aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. before serving as press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
After Trump won the 2024 election, Leavitt was named White House press secretary and became the youngest person ever to hold the job. Her rise followed a 2022 congressional campaign in New Hampshire’s 1st District, where she won a heavily contested GOP nomination.
Leavitt lost that general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Asked whether she might seek office again when Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan is up for reelection in 2028, Leavitt firmly rejected the possibility.
“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,” Leavitt said. She explained that she is focused on being a wife and mother and is pleased to be home with her family.
Leavitt said caring for her two very young children drove her decision to leave Washington. While she helps Trump sort through the crowded field of press secretary hopefuls, she is also preparing to officially become a Fox News contributor at the beginning of November.