Karoline Leavitt says Katie Zacharia was ‘obviously’ not right for press secretary gig
· Toronto Sun
Karoline Leavitt is weighing on her press secretary successor Katie Zacharia following her five-day stint on the job.
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The political commentator took over earlier this month but was fired days after her one and only press briefing , making her the shortest-serving White House press secretary in U.S. history.
Leavitt, 29, acknowledged to her new employer, Fox News , that being President Donald Trump’s spokesperson “takes a lot of preparation and sometimes you don’t know how someone will perform until they go out there.”
She stressed what a “tough job” it is to be the White House press secretary.
“I know that because I did it, obviously, for almost two years, and many people say it’s one of the hardest jobs in politics,” Leavitt said.
“As the president said, we wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well,” she added.
Preparation is key
Leavitt — who was the youngest ever White House press secretary and announced in August that she was stepping down to spend more time with her family — will soon be providing political analysis and commentary as on-air contributor with Fox News on Nov. 1.
She was in Manchester, N.H., on Wednesday to speak at the Make the Heaven Crowded Tour, where she discussed how she prepared for her press briefings.
“I prepared like heck for that first briefing,” Leavitt revealed. “I poured myself into my preparation. I read, I studied, I talked to every Cabinet member, I talked to the president. I just absorbed as much information as this noggin up here could.”
Who’s up for the job?
As for the next successor, Leavitt told Fox , “I’ve offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well.”
While she remained mum on possible candidates, she revealed that the president is “continuing to look over options.”
She noted: “There’s a lot of people who want that job. It’s an amazing job. It provides you with incredible opportunities.”
Leavitt added: “Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight.”
Mean girl?
Some of Zacharia’s supporters are slamming Leavitt for her comments.
“It’s unfair for the former press secretary to continue brutalizing President Trump’s hand-picked successor,” a source told the New York Post .
“Katie has been adamant about not taking any interviews with friendly or hostile press, has declined profile pieces and would like for the coverage to focus on President Trump’s hard work,” the insider added.
“She will not go on a self-promotion tour because it does not benefit the president. And she remains ruthlessly loyal while facing unprecedented attacks against her.”
Zacharia shared a photo alongside Trump in an Instagram post , a day after her firing, in which she praised the president.
“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and the most hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to,” she wrote.
“It was an honour to work for him.”