White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s stricter controls on reporter access, saying she maintains a firm handle on the briefing room dynamics.
In an interview on Pod Force One released Wednesday, host Miranda Devine praised Leavitt for ruling the briefing room with “an iron fist.”
“I try, thank you,” the 28-year-old replied. “I prepare a lot for the briefings… I walk in there with a good grip on what they’re going to ask, because I read and I watch and I prepare all day, all morning.”
Calls for ‘professionalism’ amid heated exchanges
Leavitt—now the youngest White House press secretary in US history—acknowledged that tensions flare in and outside the briefing room.
“The press briefing room can be combative, and sometimes it is behind the scenes as well,” she said.
But she said she urges her team to maintain standards: “We need to be professional and get them facts, and nobody does that better than President Trump.”
She added that the White House is eager to work with journalists “who want to write good stories and try to make those stories as accurate as possible.”
Snarky replies and viral moments
Leavitt and other communications officials have occasionally made headlines for sharp responses to adversarial questions.
Last month, she drew attention for telling a HuffPost reporter, “Your mom did,” when asked who selected Budapest as the venue for a planned Trump–Putin summit. The meeting was later cancelled.
Crackdown on press movement and pool rotation
During Leavitt’s tenure, the Trump administration has taken multiple steps to tighten press access.
The White House recently removed the pool rotation from the historic oversight of the White House Correspondents’ Association, bringing the selection process under direct administration control.
Additionally, reporters are no longer allowed to freely enter the Upper Press area—where Leavitt and senior communications aides work—without appointments.
Security concerns behind new restrictions
Leavitt linked the access limits to heightened security protocols following the restructuring of the National Security Council under National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.
“We felt it became very inappropriate for reporters to be loitering around sensitive information in our offices,” she said.
She also alleged incidents of misconduct: “We did, unfortunately, catch some unruly reporters recording us without our permission, listening in on our conversations, eavesdropping.”
Despite criticism, Leavitt said many journalists privately accept the new arrangement:
“We grant them that access… I give them as much time as I possibly can on my schedule.”
White House adds seats for Independent media
While restricting some traditional avenues, the administration has added a new seat in the briefing room for independent media outlets and created a dedicated new-media slot in the press pool rotation.
Says media treats Trump ‘with more respect’ now
Leavitt argued the tone of media interactions with President Trump has improved compared to his first term.
“I think that November 5th was a huge wake-up call for so many reporters,” she said.
“If 70 million Americans elected him, not once, but twice, maybe we should have a little more respect and treat this administration with a little more decency.”
