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By Aila Slisco
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President-elect Donald Trump has announced Karoline Leavitt as his pick for press secretary when he returns to the White House on January 20.
Leavitt, former Republican congressional candidate who served as deputy press secretary during the first Trump administration, was the national press secretary for Trump's successful 2024 presidential campaign and is currently a spokesperson for the president-elect's transition team.
"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 emailed to Newsweek on Friday.
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"Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator," he added. "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."
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Hours later, Leavitt thanked Trump in the following statement posted to X, formerly Twitter: "Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am humbled and honored. Let's MAGA!"
Leavitt also served as a spokesperson to Republican Representative Elise Stefanik after Trump left the White House in 2021. Stefanik was nominated by Trump earlier this week to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
At just 27 years old, Leavitt is expected to become the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history.
During a September interview with NPR, Leavitt touted Trump as the "only" choice for Gen Z voters who "want to live the American dream," arguing that the then-candidate had "a message that resonates with young people."
Trump did win over a significantly larger share of young voters this year when compared to past elections. Almost half of voters aged 18 to 29 backed Trump in 2024, according to the Associated Press VoteCast, although many disagreed with the Republican on noneconomic issues.
During an interview with Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Thursday, Leavitt indicated that she "of course" would like to become Trump's White House press secretary, saying that she "would love to go back to the White House."
"But ultimately, it's a decision for President Trump to make, and I will respect whatever he decides," she added. "I don't want to speak on behalf of my colleagues, but I know many of them are interested in returning to the White House, many of them have served before."
Earlier on Friday, Leavitt congratulated Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung after the president-elect announced that he would be serving as White House communications director and his assistant during the second Trump administration.
Trump described Cheung and Sergio Gor, who was appointed to be director of the presidential personnel office and previously founded Winning Team Publishing alongside Donald Trump Jr., as "trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016."
Update 11/15/24, 10:37 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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