At 27 years old, Karoline Leavitt is the youngest White House Press Secretary, and, she’s recently made her debut.
This February I’ll be 27 but that’s where the almost-similarities between Ms. Leavitt and me come to a resolute end. On top of quite stark differences in our political and moral beliefs – on opposite sides of the Left/Right spectrum – her job is to talk, mine is to write. At the moment, more than at any other time, she’s got a high-profile social status that demands media attention, whereas that is not really my ambition. She gives her face to cover for anything President Donald Trump may say or do. I’d rather die than live long enough to see myself become the villain.
Bear in mind that this “villainy” does not hinge on particular political ideologies or different worldviews as much as the real ethically condemnable consequences of the uniquely twisted agenda Karoline Leavitt is employed to defend tooth and nail. But none of this should upset her moral compass, considering how deep she is into Trump’s particular brand of conservatism, the kind of conservative movement which aligns with the dystopian arguments at the heart of Project 2025.
The new Press Secretary’s connection to Project 2025
If we were to press on with the comparisons: Karoline Leavitt teaches “The Art of Professionalism” on Project 2025’s Certificate Program “Conservative Governance 101,” but I don’t share the belief that saying whatever serves my boss’ agenda with confidence – in quintessential Trumpian fashion – amounts to being professional. Similarly, claiming immigrants without the right paperwork “are by definition criminals,” does not mean all those being forcefully deported have committed a crime or even had any criminal intent when they tried to take residence in the States. She’s blonde with straight hair, I’m brunette with curly hair.
Although she’s not listed as one of Project 2025’s authors – unlike other Trump administration staff members, like Office of Management and Budget’s Russell Vought – she’s nevertheless associated with it, her name featuring on the website as an instructor in “Conservative Governance 101.” The program promises to
“impart crucial institutional knowledge and best practices to succeed within federal appointed service. Aspiring political appointees will learn the basics of conservative governance, including how to staff your principal, the concepts and structure of the federal budget, and how to work with the media to advance the President’s agenda.”
Moving on: Karoline – we’re close in age so, imagining you’re reading this, I can call you Karoline, right? – and I are both on the eldest side of Gen Z but I haven’t made a single post on Twitter in my life so, I couldn’t have made a tweet that backfired as spectacularly as the Press Secretary’s past Wednesday tweet did.
As a The Washington Post journalist wrote in the aftermath of Karoline’s debut where she had to try to defend Trump’s executive orders aiming at a $3 trillion federal funding freeze: “It quickly became apparent that she had no clue about the crisis her boss had created.”
But that was not the only thing Karoline seems to be clueless about. The Press Secretary, whose job should entail an expertise in PR, clearly had no idea that her tweet would be vague enough a Rhode Island judge saw fit to side with the 22 states who filed the lawsuit and to issue a second restraining order on the defunding initiave, on top of a Washington D.C. federal judge’s block earlier on Monday.
So, as for one last difference between us: Karoline Leavitt is eager to use her mouth (or keyboard) in defense of her 78-year-old boss, whereas I would think a bit more carefully before doing so, especially if my words could backfire on my whole administration. But, in this case, good riddance.
Published: Jan 30, 2025 5:21 PM UTC