Incoming White House press secretary expects 'hostile media' in press briefings: 'We're not shy'
Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expects to enter into "hostile territory" when she begins her service in the Trump administration.
Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expects to enter into "hostile territory" when she begins her service in the Trump administration as the president's lead representative to the media.
Leavitt, 27, will be the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history, unseating Nixon administration press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he served in the role from 1969-1974.
"We hope there will be decorum, certainly, and we will try to instill that," Leavitt said when asked about concerns over mistreatment from reporters. "We're not shy of the hostile media. We've dealt with that now on the campaign for the past year."
"I will say: there is no greater advocate for a free and fair press than Donald Trump," Leavitt said. "During his first term as the president, he was the most transparent president in American history. That continued on the campaign trail despite the fact that he has exposed the media for being incredibly hostile and fake."
Leavitt, who served as Trump's spokesperson during the campaign, said that she is open to bucking traditional media arrangements in the White House briefing room.
"We will certainly look at options for how to respect the tradition of the White House while also ensuring that the press briefing room reflects the media habits of the American people today," she said.
"That may include bringing different voices into the press briefing room," Leavitt said. "That may include some different rules. We are looking at those options, and ultimately it's about serving the American people and getting President Trump's message across to them."
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"He was the most transparent president in history," Leavitt said of Trump's interactions with the press, especially in his first administration.
"Nobody does it better than President Trump," Leavitt said of the president's interactions with the media. "And again, it's our goal to get our message, his message, his America First message, and the historic policies that he will be delivering upon in the most effective way to the American people."
Fox News' Emma Colton and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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