Karoline Leavitt to Exit White House Press Role, Elevating Steven Cheung After 2 Months Filling In
Updated
Updated · Vanity Fair · Aug 20
Karoline Leavitt to Exit White House Press Role, Elevating Steven Cheung After 2 Months Filling In
3 articles · Updated · Vanity Fair · Aug 20
Summary
Karoline Leavitt has announced she will soon leave as White House press secretary, removing the official many reporters saw as the administration’s main broker with the press despite her combative public posture.
Steven Cheung is set to become the West Wing’s most prominent communications figure, a shift that worries parts of the press corps because his style has centered on insults, trolling and aggressive online attacks.
During Leavitt’s roughly 2-month maternity leave earlier this year, some reporters described the operation under Cheung and deputies as a “shitshow,” though White House officials disputed that account and said they still answered inquiries promptly.
The transition comes after the Trump team tightened media access—seizing control of the press pool, banning the AP and limiting entry to “Upper Press”—while still fielding more than 200 press inquiries a day.
Leavitt’s exit could also trigger an internal succession fight; CNN commentator Scott Jennings has sought the job, but a White House official said Trump is not sold on him.