White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced her departure at the end of August, citing the demands of the job versus time with her two young children. The piece argues her exit is more consequential than routine staff turnover because Leavitt reshaped how the White House controls press access, taking over the press pool system from the independent correspondents' association and admitting more conservative media figures.
Her tenure included the banning of the Associated Press from certain events over its refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico, and briefings that opened with lengthy pro-Trump monologues rather than policy explanations. A Democratic congressman quoted in the piece said her legacy will be 'further degrading the relationship between the White House and the press.'
The analysis notes Leavitt's departure comes amid falling poll numbers for Trump and Republican anxiety about the midterms, and follows controversy over whether reporters aboard Air Force One were used as a decoy during a secret flight from Turkey.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.