Donald Trump‘s Cabinet experienced staffing shakeups with the departures of Kristi Noem from the secretary of homeland security role in March and Pam Bondi from the attorney general role in early April.
Noem was quickly replaced by Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, while Bondi was replaced in an acting capacity by Todd Blanche.
And now people think Karoline Leavitt is next on the chopping block after Trump singled out the White House Press Secretary, amid frustration grows over disappointing poll numbers, with critics suggesting Leavitt’s being positioned as an easy scapegoat.
The pendulum keeps swinging, fueling whispers about who might hear “You’re fired” next — just as another insider quietly rises, with Trump now backing a new mouthpiece whose debut has people questioning Karoline Leavitt’s future in Washington.
Riley Podleski, a bright-eyed 25-year-old blonde, was upgraded to assistant press secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, unofficially recognized by Trump supporters as “The Department of War,” after Easter weekend.
The Liberty University alumna has been working in the Capitol since 2025, first as the communications assistant to congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and then as the Pentagon’s assistant press secretary. She has already been brutally nicknamed “War Spokeswoman Barbie.”
Podleski, wearing a white long blazer, flexed her new title in an April 10 “DOW Situation Report,” a highlight reel perpetuating Trump’s successful war narrative about obliterating Iran’s military operations by using “less than 10 percent” of the US’s armed forces’ combat power.
To our warfighters and the American people—
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) April 10, 2026
THIS IS WHAT WE DID THIS WEEK AT THE WAR DEPARTMENT! pic.twitter.com/vdR8CguF6Y
She began by stating, “Thanks to the strength of our commander in chief, the United States announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. In other words, the new Iranian regime understood that a deal was far better than the fate that awaited them.”
Copying Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at last Wednesday’s briefing, she reiterated their message that “the US dismantled one of the world’s largest militaries.”
“We own their skies, wiped out their navy, destroyed their missile program, and rendered their defense industrial base useless,” said Podleski. “President Trump has made history and has done what no other president had the courage to do before.”
Days prior, the president threatened that a “whole civilization” would die if a deal were not reached to halt attacks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
🚨 SecDef Pete Hegseth: "Iran's navy is at the bottom of the sea… Iran's air force has been wiped out. Iran no longer has any sort of a comprehensive air defense system… Their missile program is functionally destroyed."
— The Real Axel Vasa (@Axlvasa) April 8, 2026
Total dominance. pic.twitter.com/RJCyQ17ZKi
The curated highlight reel imploded after four seconds. “Assistant Press Secretary”? Is that a thing?” asked another person who had never heard of such a title.
When people learned that she would work closely with Hegseth, who has skipped at least two major meetings this week, some said the video makes her “look like AI” or “another white blonde lady fall guy” like Noem and Bondi, if something goes wrong.
Another joked, “I’m not convinced that’s not Pete Hegseth with a blonde wig. Who the f–k even is this girl???”
An eagle-eyed viewer zoomed in and left comments like “OMG and “Whoa Whoa Whoa.” Others remarked, “Is this a joke? Is this a joke. Bc secretary is spelled wrong… LOL I can’t tell what’s real anymore.”
Podleski misspelled her own title as “sacratary,” and the slip didn’t go unnoticed. A second heckler jumped in, mocking the administration as anything but the “finest, best and brightest of the bottom of the barrel.” turning the moment into something bigger than a typo — especially as it mirrored that earlier “SSecretary of War” sign placed in front of Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting.
The discourse unraveled when folks began commenting about Podleski’s appearance, many of whom said she looked as young as 14 years old. Others wrote comments such as “He loves surrounding himself with blonde women” and “How many weeks do we give her before the Mar A Lago makeover?”
Podleski’s youthfulness also fueled speculation that she is “auditioning” to become Trump’s new superstar. An individual openly wondered, “So this is Prego’s replacement? Just a younger version of herself? This is really sick actually.”
Leavitt, 28, is pregnant with her and her husband Nicholas Riccio’s, second child, a daughter due in May. The fiery blond launched her career with Trump by working as his 2024 campaign spokesperson. Recently, the president transitioned from lauding Leavitt’s “machine gun lips” to attributing his dismal approval ratings and humiliating headlines to her.
During an Oval Office press conference, Trump said, “Maybe Karoline is doing a poor job, I don’t know. She’s my representative; you’re doing a terrible job. Should we keep her? I think we’ll keep her.” Whether he was displaying a dry sense of humor or sending Leavitt a clear warning to tighten up is debatable.
Someone else suggested that the young lady, “Seems like she took lessons from reading off a teleprompter from her wonderful ‘commander in chief.’ Melania better watch her step. This one looks to be about the right age.”
Trump: I got 93% bad publicity. Maybe Karoline is doing a poor job. pic.twitter.com/HINANqxbs9
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 31, 2026
A similar discussion unfolded in February, when critics noticed that Leavitt and Melania “wannabes” were being recruited for positions to push Trump’s many agendas. Chamberlain Harris, a 26-year-old, was installed on the Commission of Fine Arts panel overseeing the handling of his White House ballroom.
