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President Donald Trump announced his campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt as the next White House press secretary on Friday.
The appointment will make Leavitt, 27, the youngest person to serve in the role.
“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary,” Trump said in a statement late Friday.
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again,” he added.
Leavitt posted on X to express her gratitude to Trump.
“Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am humbled and honored. Let’s MAGA!” she wrote.
Leavitt also fiercely defended Trump during an interview on Fox News.
“They forced him to take a mug shot. They tried to remove his name off of the ballot. They forced him to sit in a dirty courthouse for six weeks. Two people tried to kill him, for goodness sake,” Leavitt said last week on “Fox & Friends” following the election. “And the American people see, in Donald Trump, is clear a leader who even in the darkest of times is going to lift his fist in the air and say, ‘fight, fight, fight’ for this country.”
“Democracy appeared to be 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 it shows the Democrats’ message in these final weeks of the campaign that he’s this alleged threat to democracy just didn’t work in the eyes of the American people,” she added.
Leavitt also served in Trump’s first administration as assistant press secretary before running for Congress in her home state of New Hampshire in 2022. She won the Republican primary but lost in the general election.
The announcement adds to several early decisions from Trump concerning his new leadership team. He first announced Suzie Wiles as White House chief of staff, making her the first woman to serve in the role.
Trump also announced Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as Secretary of State last week, along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as the director of Health and Human Services.