Donald Trump names Karoline Leavitt as youngest ever White House press secretary

Karoline Leavitt  (AP)
Karoline Leavitt (AP)

US president-elect Donald Trump has named Karoline Leavitt to serve as his White House press secretary.

Ms Leavitt already worked on Mr Trump's election campaign as his press secretary and is currently a spokesperson for Mr Trump's transition into the Oval Office.

At 27, Ms Leavitt will become the youngest White House press secretary in history.

"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," Mr Trump said in a statement on 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."

Ms Leavitt replied in a post on X: "Thank you, President Trump, for believing in me. I am humbled and honoured. Let's MAGA," the acronym for Make America Great Again.

The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps.

Mr Trump disrupted those norms in his first term, preferring to serve as his own chief spokesperson.

While he was president from 2017 to 2021, Mr Trump had four press secretaries, although he frequently preferred to engage directly with the public himself from either political rallies, his own social media posts and or media briefings.

At a news conference in August, Mr Trump was asked if he would have regular press briefings in his new administration.

He told reporters: "I will give you total access and you'll have a lot of press briefings and you'll have, uh, from me."

When it came to a press secretary, he said: "Probably they'll do something. If it's not daily, it's going to be a lot. You'll have more than you want."

Ms Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, is seen as a staunch and camera-ready advocate for Mr Trump who is quick on her feet and delivers aggressive defences of the Republican in television interviews.

During Mr Trump's first term in office, Ms Leavitt worked in the White House press office.