Karoline Leavitt left the White House with a bang, leaving President Donald Trump’s administration scrambling for weeks.
Her replacement, Katie Zacharia, lasted five days as press secretary after a brutal podium routine and controversy over her alleged law degree.
The former press secretary cracked under pressure, and now Leavitt seems to be basking in the fact that Trump still hasn’t found someone to take her place.
At 27, Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in American history. She served for two years and, during that time, married her 61-year-old husband and welcomed two children.
Zacharia had a husband and four children when Trump tapped her as press secretary.
He fired her just five days after a disastrous first White House briefing, where she answered only three questions from the press.
Leavitt has been honest that the position is “tough” to fill. During an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” she admitted Zacharia just didn’t make the cut.
“That pressure in that room is enormous,” Leavitt explained. “The press are vicious, and you know I give her credit for standing up there. And as the president said, it wasn’t a good fit, and that’s okay. I wish her well, and we’re on to the next. And he has a lot of options.”
She went further, comparing Zacharia’s exit to contestants being fired on Trump’s show, “The Apprentice.”
“Look, I mean, the president did have a hit show called ‘The Apprentice,’ where he’s known for, you know, moving on from people,” Leavitt slipped up, revealing his bad habit.
“So hey, it’s in his nature to do that type of thing, I guess,” she added.
Leavitt is now a political commentator on Fox News and recently sat down for an interview.
The former campaign spokeswoman held back from revealing exactly what she told Trump. But she did note her replacement had to be “smart, loyal, tough, and willing to put up a fight.”
“I’ll keep my private counsel to the president private,” Leavitt told the outlet last week.
On X, she said she was “Forever grateful to President Trump for taking a chance and granting me the professional opportunity of a lifetime.”
Leavitt admitted to having “sleepless nights” while she was trying to decide whether to leave Trump’s staff. She said prayer and talks with her family ultimately influenced her decision.
Her openness about her time serving under Trump didn’t win much sympathy from detractors of Trump’s administration.
Her glowing praise for the president prompted critics to call her a master fabricator and suggest she was jealous of another blonde so close to Trump.
“She’s just a loudmouth who has confidence unlike Katie,” said one person, while another joked, “Even MAGA is making fun of Katie… hahahahhahahaha.”
Critics wondered why Leavitt seemed to get a chuckle out of another mother losing her job.
“The woman lost her job on the first day. Why is Karoline laughing and joking about Katie’s failure? Seems really thoughtless and jaded,” wrote one commentator. Another said, “Leavitt never properly did what the job required. All she did was praise Trump.”
In response to the “Apprentice” jab, another said, “Good lord! The Apprentice was a job interview. That was the entire point of the TV show. Out in the real world, you don’t give someone a high profile job unless they nail the interview.”
Former press secretaries Karoline Leavitt and Katie Zacharia joined a growing list of high-ranking women who have left the Trump administration during his second term.
Trump also fired former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Recently, former U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle was asked to step down.
NOW on @FoxNews – Former WH Press Secy. @karolineleavitt weighs in on her successor’s rapid White House exit, says the job "was not for her." Leavitt tells me she’s giving advice to @realDonaldTrump as he looks for another replacement – "he needs someone who is tough" https://t.co/V6LXnSvSBx
— Paul Steinhauser (@steinhauserNH1) October 22, 2026
