Karoline Leavitt, the former White House press secretary, said on Sean Hannity’s Hang Out podcast this week that mainstream outlets carry too few of President Donald Trump’s speeches live. She called that pattern “scary.” The conversation dealt with how the press has covered Trump’s second administration.
She argued that coverage of Trump has fallen short while the White House has boycotted CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Leavitt said she phoned leaders at those stations and asked why they skip the live remarks. She said she told them the audience should be allowed to judge the speeches on their own.
“I’ve gotten on the phone with the leadership of all of those stations and said, ‘ Why aren’t you taking the president’s remarks live? Let your audience decide how they feel about this. Oh well, we have more important things to cover here today. Okay, good to know,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt describes network decisions, reporter apologies, and a possible Fox News show
Leavitt claimed the press shows a “bias of omission.” She said it is troubling when networks themselves decide not to air a presidential address to the country. “For the president of the United States to address the nation, and for networks to make the editorial decisions themselves that they will not cover it for their audience, that’s scary stuff,” she said.
She also talked about her years in the briefing room. Leavitt claimed some journalists later apologized in private for the questions they asked. She said they told her editors and executives had required those questions.
“There’s been times reporters have even said to me, ‘I’m sorry, I had to ask that today. You know, my bosses really wanted me to ask that.’ They know it’s an unfair question, but they’re not in control of their own livelihood; they are dictated by the editors and the execs at some of these companies,” she said.
Leavitt then joked about a possible on-air role at Fox News after she leaves the White House. Leavitt’s comments about her future come after she returned from maternity leave to step down as press secretary. She pointed to former press secretary Jean Psaki’s program on MS NOW as a comparison. “Almost from the beginning, I said I can see, you know, The Briefing with Karoline Leavitt coming up on the Fox News Channel,” she said.
She maintained that stations should carry Trump’s remarks live rather than set them aside for other stories. The debate over live coverage exists within a broader media landscape, as Fox News chief signals the end of Trump coverage. Leavitt indicated that some network officials told her they had more important items to cover that day. She said she had raised the issue directly with station leadership.
