Opinion

DAVID MARCUS: Karoline Leavitt’s lasting legacy is opening the White House to indie press

Her commitment to independent outlets and influencers in the briefing room will likely outlast the Trump administration

By David Marcus Fox News

Published August 15, 2026 10:12am EDT

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Trump White House has ‘huge shoes to fill’ as Karoline Leavitt exits, independent journalist says

Former Trump campaign deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine and independent journalist Lyndsay Keith discuss Karoline Leavitt’s departure as White House press secretary on ‘Fox News @ Night.’

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At the end of the month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will end a tenure that many consider to be one of the best in the 97-year history of the office. Importantly, she will leave something behind — a vital legacy of opening the briefing room to independent media.

Leavitt handled her office with grace and dexterity, no mean feat for someone communicating for President Donald Trump, who talks more than a morning radio disc jockey. Somehow, she was never in front of his messaging, but also never far behind.

As a queen of cool, Leavitt could not be flustered. She always had an air of confidence and, dare I say, levity. Even when her occasional jocular barbs were tossed at reporters, they rarely turned into acrimony.

FILE - White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2026. She announced her upcoming resignation Aug. 12. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty........

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