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Representing a new generation of Republican politicians: Karoline Leavitt, the new White House Press Secretary

Photo by AP
While some members of President Donald Trump’s new administration have a contentious past, the announcement that Karoline Leavitt is to be the new White House Press Secretary is certainly promising. Soon to be the youngest press secretary in White House history at only 27 years of age, Leavitt has already built a stellar reputation in the US. Having studied communication at a Christian college, she has been involved in Republican politics from a young age, interning at Fox News and the White House press office during Trump’s first term. Since graduating, she continued working in the White House press office and subsequently served as communication director to the newly-appointed US Ambassador to the UN, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

Having great political ambitions herself, Leavitt left her role at Stefanik’s side to win the New Hampshire primaries and become the Republican candidate for the  US House of Representatives, aiming to become the youngest woman ever elected in Congress. Her policies were notoriously ‘Trumpian’, advocating for free market policies and no tolerance for illegal immigration. After narrowly losing the election, she continued working in the Republican press office, becoming Trump’s national campaign press secretary. Leavitt has particularly been appreciated by Americans for her image as a strong and career-oriented woman: although she was pregnant during her time on the campaign trail with Trump, she worked 20 hour days and returned to work just three days after giving birth, the day of the assassination attempt against Trump. Loyal to Trump throughout her whole political career and well-versed in the particularities of Eastern European politics, Leavitt has been particularly important in not only maintaining Trump’s media image but also in his relations with European politicians.
It is obvious that Leavitt will be a change for the better when comparing her to Karine Jean-Pierre, the current press secretary, who as the first black and LGBT person to serve as press secretary seemed to have only regaled the world with numerous gaffes and blunders throughout her time in office, the only topic of discussion which she excelled at being over exaggerated allowances to the LGBT community – let’s all remember when a trans school shooter killed 6 individuals last year in a horrific attack and Jean-Pierre made a statement in support of the shooter rather than the victims.
Leavitt’s role as press secretary could also be the stepping stone Leavitt needs to become a Congressional Representative for New Hampshire or gain a more prominent role in the next elections – let’s not forget that Trump’s former press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, went on to win the race for Arkansas governor. Young and motivated, Leavitt will certainly be a figure to follow when assessing the future generation of Republican politicians.
By Daria Gusa

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