White House to Hold First Briefing Since Karoline Leavitt’s Exit

Overview

• The White House has scheduled a press briefing for Thursday, which will be the first formal briefing since July 23 and ends a more than 40-day pause in on‑the‑record briefings.
• Karoline Leavitt officially stepped down in late August after announcing her exit on August 12 and is expected to work as an outside adviser to President Trump while taking a role with the MAGA Inc. super PAC.
• The administration has not named a successor to Leavitt and several names have been floated publicly, including Scott Jennings and Alina Habba, with Jennings denying he wants the job.
• During Leavitt’s earlier maternity leave senior officials such as the vice president and cabinet members rotated to the podium, and the White House is likely to rely on similar interim spokespeople for the upcoming briefing.
• The briefing’s return addresses an operational gap that has complicated daily messaging during a busy campaign period and people should watch whether the White House names a permanent press secretary or shifts to a rotating briefing model.