White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made a surprising statement during a press briefing that she is “not part of the President’s political team anymore,” despite the fact that she is the official spokesperson for Donald Trump. Her comment led to confusion because as the mouthpiece for the president, she speaks for him as the political leader of the United States.
Leavitt made the comment on April 22 when she responded to a political question from one of the reporters. She attempted to separate herself from her current role. “That’s a question that’s political by nature. As you know, I’m not part of the President’s political team anymore. I do sit here at the White House as a government employee.”
The remark quickly drew attention online as some questioned if the press secretary role could be separated from politics. Viewers pointed out that usually the role has one communicating and defending the administration’s policies, making Leavitt’s distinction unclear.
Leavitt: That’s a question that’s political by nature, as you know, I’m not part of the president’s political team anymore. I do sit here at the White House as a government employee pic.twitter.com/noeqZ0K68N
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 22, 2026
Later, Leavitt added some context to the situation. She said that Trump has a “lot on his plate” but her explanation didn’t address the confusion around her earlier statement. Leavitt’s remarks come as Trump’s communication strategy has come under the spotlight. The president is reportedly not following the traditional channels, but is also taking calls from journalists. Trump has at times even apparently delivered messages that are different from the White House’s official positions.
Apparently, aides have tried to limit these interactions because of the inconsistency and confusion it brings. But some, like Leavitt, are still sometimes left in the dark with the president reportedly taunting her about what he’s going to say. He has apparently told Leavitt to “wait and see.”
Trump is seemingly adding to the confusion by not following traditional channels, Trump’s stability is being questioned by others. Political scientist Christopher Lee told The Mirror US that Leavitt may be under pressure after a series of events which had Trump questioning her abilities. One instance was when he jokingly asked the audience, “Should we keep her?” following negative reports about him.
Leavitt claims Trump “has been the steady leader our country needs” during the Iran war pic.twitter.com/8u8S5LMv4s
— FactPost (@factpostnews) April 21, 2026
Lee compared Leavitt’s situation to that of former press secretary Sean Spicer, pointing out that being visible and public reaction often play a role in how long communications officers stay in their roles. “When Sean Spicer became the joke, almost from the jump, Trump felt they were laughing at him,” Lee stated.
He added, “For Leavitt, the break may already have come. It starts with the Jesus meme where she told Trump to say the photo was ‘doctored’ and Trump said he thought he looked like ‘a doctor’.” Lee said that Trump would reach a breaking point. When that happens, he said, “People will argue whether that’s because Trump gets bored or until the media pushes back harder making Leavitt, and by extension Trump, look weak, unintelligent and out of her depth. Again, that’s happened already. And that why my honest opinion is that Leavitt exists on borrowed time.”
Leavitt has not been removed from her post and is still the press secretary. Over the last two months, Trump has however fired both Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi.
