What to Know
Karoline Leavitt does have some complaints about working as the White House press secretary, but they’re different from what you might expect. Overall, she feels that the job is “a blessing” — she just works too much and her schedule is constantly changing.
During an interview with the Daily Mail, the 28-year-old said that she has “PTSD about making plans.”
At this point, she has stopped making plans with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, because it’s hard to guarantee that she’ll actually be available. “We just roll with it,” she told the publication.
“If there’s a night where I happen to become free, then we take full advantage of that as a family.”
She says it’s a “24/7 job,” but she still chooses to prioritize her family.
While plans with her husband are out of the question, Karoline told the publication that she leaves work “at a more reasonable hour than people may think.” Even though the work/life balance isn’t great, she prioritizes getting home in time for her child’s bedtime.
She said, “That’s sort of the line I’ve drawn to get home and cook dinner and go through the bedtime routine and be a mom.” That doesn’t mean that she’s totally disconnected from her work when she’s at home, though. After all, she’s President Donald Trump’s press secretary …
“I mean, being press secretary, especially for President Trump, is a 24/7 job,” she admitted. “Even when I’m home, I spend a lot of time on the phone or checking the news.”
She also said she and her husband had to cancel “three different mini weekend getaway vacations this summer” because of her work schedule.
To her, the job is like playing ‘Whack-a-Mole.’
To prepare to defend Trump against a bunch of media reports about him, she spends a lot of time watching the news and reading newspapers. Apparently, she has Fox News, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), and CNN playing all the time.
“I watch the chyrons and especially what MSNBC and CNN are talking about, because I know that’s the majority of what will be the major focus in the briefing room,” she explained.
During the interview, Karoline said her job “is challenging for a lot of reasons,” but to her, it’s worth it. “When you have faith in God and something bigger than yourself, all of those challenges seem mundane,” she shared.
“This job is a blessing, and if I can encourage people to open up a Bible by being outspoken about my faith, then to me, that’s the greatest reward.”
Besides, at least she won’t be Trump’s press secretary forever. “It’s, you know, it’s temporary,” she said. “We’re one year down. We got three to go.”
