Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared her playbook for handling bad press lessons she learned from President Donald Trump.
“He’d be like, ‘Honey, I’ve been spinning up the press longer than you’ve been alive,” Leavitt said on Fox News Media’s Hang Out with Sean Hannity. “And he is right.”
Leavitt spoke with Hannity on a wide range of topics, including Trump’s interactions with reporters, being in the Situation Room during high-stakes operations, and what led to her decision to leave the high-profile role. Leavitt has often spoken on how the president would do well as his own press secretary.
“He taught me, you know, every news cycle comes and goes, like, this too shall pass,” Leavitt said. “And his resilience is remarkable. I mean, he has been through so much. More hatred, more adversity than any politician ever in our nation’s history.”
A lawsuit was filed against Trump by several media organizations after he banned three outlets from the White House for reporting what he called “fake news.” MS Now, CNN, and Politico had their credentials revoked and were barred from the grounds. Several major television networks are boycotting White House pool coverage in solidarity with CNN, which was part of the White House press pool. The TV networks include Fox News, ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Leavitt said the president treated everyone with kindness “when he’s one-on-one,” including the media.
“And I know, not just press, they won’t say it on the record, but off the record they do say, like, how warm he is, how great he is,” Leavitt said. “He answers their calls. I mean, heck, he doesn’t even need a press secretary because he just picks up the phone to reporters and chit-chats with them, you know? And they appreciate that.”
The former press secretary explained how difficult it was to leave her role to be with her children. Leavitt recalled watching the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, live on her TV, three days after having her first child, a son.
“That was very traumatic,” Leavitt said. “And I had a choice to make. You know, I had producers calling, ‘Can you come on TV and talk about this?’ And I felt as though I owed it to the president to do that. I mean, he nearly lost his life. So, I went back to work in three days.”
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Her son used to cling to her leg as she left for work, and when she had her daughter, Leavitt knew she could not keep juggling both roles.
“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make because I loved my job, and I love the president and our team, and I believe so much in what he’s doing,” Leavitt said. “But as he jokes, I do love my kids more.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
