WHITE House press secretary Karoline Leavitt uses her authenticity to bring credibility and conviction to President Trump’s second term, a Republican strategist has said.
Matt Terrill has hailed Leavitt, 27, for how she’s commanded the briefing room having made the transition from Trump’s campaign team to The White House.
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She has championed the president’s agenda and one of her first moves was to open the door to newer media outlets, broadening coverage of the Administration.
Matt Terrill, formerly chief of staff for Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, couldn’t speak highly enough when it comes to her performance over the past three months.
He emphasized that Leavitt’s role is to make the administration’s agenda sound credible, adding she’s doing a phenomenal job.
“Her job is to go out there and represent the administration and do that in an effective way,” he said.
“The job of the press secretary is to ensure credibility.
“The American people have to have trust, not just in the president, but in those who represent the President.
“They have to have trust in the press secretary and I think the American people see someone in who’s credible, who’s confident, authentic and somebody who no question is able to do the job.”
And as part of the Generation Z group, she can help communicate Trump’s agenda to younger voters, according to Terrill.
Polling suggests Gen Z voters could be shifting toward the Republicans.
Surveys reveal that it’s men from that demographic who are more enthusiastic toward Trump.
NBC polling revealed 45% of men between 18 and 29 approve of Trump’s performance.
By contrast, only 24% of women between 18-29 have voiced their approval.
The gender gap is widest among Generation Z voters in the survey.
Trump tapped into trying to win the youth vote by starring on podcasts during his election campaign.
He credited son, Barron, for helping him appear on those shows.
Terrill said Leavitt, the youngest-ever White House press secretary, has a “bright future” ahead whether that be as a future politician, or in the private sector.
Leavitt made history by becoming the Republican’s first Generation Z congressional nominee when she won the GOP primary for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district.
But, she came up short in the 2022 election.
Leavitt has not given any further indications about any political aspirations.
But, she is the only Trump White House press secretary that has previously run for Congress.
The American people see someone in who’s credible, who’s confident and authentic
Matt Terrill
Leavitt is just one member in Trump’s team, and Terrill explained the key difference between the two administrations.
“He is somebody who recognizes the importance of having a diverse group of individuals around him,” he said.
“President Trump is clearly surrounded himself with people that he trusts, respects, and knows.
“He didn’t have that during Trump 1.0 and he’s been very blunt about the fact he made mistakes by putting personnel in place who maybe he didn’t trust or respect.”
Terrill believes Trump’s top team is one that represents America, and he said the president has learned the lessons of any shortcomings during his first term.
Trump will use the experiences of past failure to drive him to success, according to the strategist.
The president’s team composes of former GOP presidential rivals such as Rubio, but also those who do not have decades of experience on Capitol Hill.
Trump has also rewarded people who were with him on the campaign trail with posts in his administration.
Leavitt was the Trump 2024 campaign national press secretary.
She gave birth to her first child, Niko, in July 2024 and returned to work after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Get to know Karoline Leavitt
Donald Trump’s press secretary is the youngest White House press secretary ever at 27.
Here are some fast facts about Karoline Leavitt:
- She was raised Catholic in Atkinson, New Hampshire
- She attended Saint Anselm College
- She started her college’s first broadcasting club
- She interned at Fox News during college
- She worked as the assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany
- She won the Republican primary for the US House of Representatives in New Hampshire in 2022
- She’s married to 59-year-old entrepreneur Nicholas Riccio
- She gave birth to her first son, Niko, in July 2024
- She went back to work for Trump days after giving birth
- She had her mic cut off in a CNN interview in June 2024 after criticizing presidential debate moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper
Leavitt admitted she felt some degree of guilt for working.
“I think every working mother understands the demands,” she told the Christian Broadcasting Network.
She revealed that she also tried to make it home in time before Niko’s bedtime.
“No matter where you are, what you’re doing, there is a sense of guilt,” she admitted.
But when she’s not fending off questions from journalists, Leavitt has documented her work-life balance on social media.
Her Instagram account is peppered with snaps of herself with her son in Washington DC.
Leavitt, sporting a light blue dress, beamed as she held son Niko posing for photographs at the White House Easter Egg roll.
“A tradition like no other,” she captioned the post.
Marking Trump’s 100 days in office, she shared a montage of snaps titled: “Mom & press sec edition.”
In one picture, Trump was seen looking at a photograph, while Leavitt was pointing and holding Niko in the Oval Office.
While, in another, she was seen clutching her son while on the tarmac near a government plane.
Leavitt described becoming a mother as the “best moment” of her life.
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How Trump changed the world in first 100 days
Donald Trump has signed over 140 executive orders in his first 100 days back in office. After making a slew of promises before re-entering the White House, what has he achieved so far?
Education:
Trump signed an executive order to cut federal money to schools that support or are seen to “push critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” onto children.
He has also signed an order to cut funding to schools that have a mandate about vaccines and masks.
The President is also working on closing the federal Education Department and pulling back on DEI policies and programs, directing the federal government to end its diversity and equity programs.
Classified Records:
In March 2025, the White House released the classified documents on the assassination of JFK, something Trump vowed to do in October 2024 “immediately” after re-entering office.
Energy:
In September 2024, Trump vowed to declare a national energy emergency to push for more drilling and boosting “domestic energy supply” which he did when he signed an executive order upon entering the White House.
Another promise he has kept was signing an executive order to remove the US from the Paris Agreement.
Two other orders Trump has signed are working to keep his promises to end state emissions waivers that limit sales of gas-powered cars and to bring an end to the “electric vehicle mandate.”
Foreign Affairs:
The President vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war soon after entering office and has become a key negotiator between the warring nations.
Though he has so far failed to end the bloodshed, his action has moved talks on to finding a ceasefire agreement.
He also criticised the amount of US funding going to Ukraine, quickly ramping up pressure on European allies to take on more of the burden.
As part of his diplomacy and foreign strategy, Trump has already hosted at least 11 world leaders in his first 100 days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being the first leader welcomed to the White House on February 4.
Government:
Trump said he would fire government employees who he says are “corrupt bureaucrats” which is something he has addressed via another executive order.
He also established DOGE to root out blockers to efficiency with Elon Musk brandishing the “chainsaw for bureaucracy.”
DOGE cuts have seen major reductions in the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and attempts to make cuts in the Department of Education.
Cuts of $47.4 billion have been made to the Department of Health and Human Services while over $45 billion has been taken from the Agency for International Development, and $2.6 billion has been cut from the Department of State, according to DOGE.
Immigration:
The President has long been waging a war on immigration and has signed numerous executive orders in a bid to fulfil his plans.
These include carrying out the biggest deportation in US history to “end the migrant invasion,” ending the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, banning refugees from Gaza and removing the student visas of those deemed to be pro-Hamas protesters, “radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners.”
He also signed an order to start “ideological screening” for all immigrants and axed the CBP One app used by migrants to schedule appointments US border patrol agents.
Illegal border crossings from Mexico are now the lowest they have been for over four years but there are fears that some of those being deported under Trump’s action against “killers and thugs” are innocent and are not being given due process.
Pardons:
Trump has pardoned over 1,500 people including the majority of those convicted or charged in the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021.
He has also pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of a dark web marketplace known as Silk Road and Charles Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s father-in-law who was in prison for tax evasion, witness tampering, and campaign finance offences.
Tariffs:
In November, Trump said he would “tariff the hell out of countries that have been taking advantage” of the US, something he is continuing to work on after his “Liberation Day” announcement of a “reciprocal tariff” strategy with tariffs up to 145%, most harshly impacting China.
Taxes:
Through congressional action, the President has started cutting corporate tax rates to 15%, make tax cuts permanent, have no tax on tips, scrap taxes on Social Security and overtime pay, and making interest on car loans entirely tax deductible.