# Trump picks Karoline Leavitt as youngest White House press secretary in history
President-elect Donald Trump has named Karoline Leavitt, his campaign press secretary, to serve as his White House press secretary. At 27, she would become the youngest person ever to hold the job.
The AP report places the announcement in West Palm Beach, Florida, and says Leavitt is currently a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team. The historical comparison is clear: the previous age record belonged to Ronald Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the role in 1969 under Richard Nixon.
Leavitt’s appointment is significant not just because of her age but because of what she represents inside Trump’s orbit. She is described as a close, camera-ready advocate who has already shown she can deliver aggressive defenses of Trump in interviews. That suggests she may be a natural fit for an administration that often treats media relations as an extension of political combat.
Trump praised her in a statement, saying she had done a “phenomenal job” on his campaign and that he expected her to help deliver his message to the American people. Leavitt responded on social media by thanking Trump and expressing gratitude for the appointment.
The role itself remains one of the most visible in Washington. Press secretaries are expected to explain administration policy, answer reporters and shape the daily public narrative. Yet Trump’s first term showed that the job can vary sharply depending on the president’s habits. He often preferred to communicate directly through rallies, social media and his own briefings.
The AP report also situates Leavitt in Trump’s broader personnel network. She previously worked for MAGA Inc., a Trump-supporting super PAC, ran for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022, and worked in the White House press office during Trump’s first term before becoming communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik.
That background makes her appointment less surprising than the headline age record might suggest. She has spent years in Trump-aligned communications roles and has already been tested in high-pressure political messaging. The novelty is that she will now take center stage in the White House briefing room, where every statement will carry official weight.
If confirmed in practice by the transition and inauguration process, Leavitt’s rise will place one of Trump’s most loyal communicators in a job that will test both her discipline and the administration’s willingness to re-engage with daily press briefings. For now, the announcement marks a clear choice: Trump wants a young, forceful, loyal spokesperson at the front of his second-term message machine.
