Karoline Leavitt is fully supportive of President Donald Trump’s pick to succeed her as White House press secretary.
“It is a decision that is entirely up to him. Obviously, whoever takes this job, you spend a lot of time with the president. It has to be someone he wholeheartedly trusts and believes in,” Leavitt, 28, shared on the Thursday, August 27, episode of NewsNation’s Morning in America. “I will say, there’s no shortage of applications. There are many capable people who want this job.”
Before officially exiting her job later on Thursday, Leavitt said she has had many conversations with Trump, 80, about who could take on the role.
“I have offered to the president to continue to give him my advice and counsel in choosing the next person for the post,” she revealed. “It is a blessing, a privilege and honor to stand behind the White House podium. Whoever gets the job next is a very lucky person to work for this president at this moment in history, and I’ll be here to help every step of the way.”
On August 12, Trump revealed that Leavitt would be leaving her job at the end of the month “so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family.”
The commander in chief confirmed Leavitt — who welcomed daughter Viviana with husband Nicholas Riccio in May — “will now be one of my top outside advisors.”
Although Leavitt didn’t want to name any possible replacements, she promised in her latest interview that there is “definitely a list, and there’s a lot of good people.”
“Again, it’s the president’s decision to make, but I think I have a say in the qualities that the person should have,” she said. “The president knows you’ve got to be someone who can go out there and fight, someone who can work the long hours, someone who fully believes in the mission to make this country great again.”
Leavitt continued, “Again, I will leave the decision to the president himself, and I’ll keep my private counsel to him private. But rest assured, I know that he will choose someone who will serve this country and him and this White House very well.”
For the next person to hold the title of White House press secretary, Leavitt wants to remind them — and the public — that press briefings on TV are only about 10 percent of the job. A majority of the important duties are done behind the cameras.
“The 90 percent of the job is working stories, having relationships with members of the White House press corps, ensuring there is fair, accurate, truthful coverage on behalf of the president, of course traveling with him everywhere he goes,” she said. “Just being an enforcer of his message and what he thinks and really understanding his thinking and relaying that honestly and accurately to the American public is the key part of the job.”
Morning in America airs on NewsNation weekdays at 6 a.m. ET.
