DAVID MARCUS: Karoline Leavitt’s lasting legacy is opening the White House to indie press

At the extremity of the month, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt volition extremity a tenure that galore see to beryllium 1 of the champion successful the 97-year past of the office. Importantly, she volition permission thing down — a captious bequest of opening the briefing country to autarkic media.

Leavitt handled her bureau with grace and dexterity, nary mean feat for idiosyncratic communicating for President Donald Trump, who talks much than a greeting vigor disc jockey. Somehow, she was ne'er successful beforehand of his messaging, but besides ne'er acold behind.

As a queen of cool, Leavitt could not beryllium flustered. She ever had an aerial of assurance and, situation I say, levity. Even erstwhile her occasional jocular barbs were tossed astatine reporters, they seldom turned into acrimony.

FILE - White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a property briefing successful the Brady Briefing Room of the White House successful Washington, DC, connected July 23, 2026. She announced her upcoming resignation Aug. 12. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

SCRAMBLE FOR KAROLINE LEAVITT'S REPLACEMENT ENSUES WITH JUST WEEKS UNTIL TRUMP'S SPOKESPERSON EXITS

Beyond serving arsenic a exemplary for aboriginal property secretaries, Leavitt’s strongest bequest volition beryllium her committedness to opening up the White House media ecosystem to tiny indie quality outlets and adjacent societal media influencers.

Every property league opens with a question from the "new media seat," a signifier that was overmuch maligned aboriginal connected by fussy aged bequest outlet reporters who rolled their eyes astatine these commoners gaining introduction to their fancy club.

I callback a person of mine, who was caller to the briefing room, telling maine of an aged regular huffing and puffing and saying, "This is wherever I stand, you person to move!"

She did not move.

FILE - Reporters rise their hands to inquire questions during a property briefing by White House property caput Karoline Leavitt astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., Nov. 4, 2025. Leavitt said she would beryllium leaving the relation to prioritize her 2 young children. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

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How gauche it was, having specified bloggers oregon TikTok personalities with this benignant of entree to the astir almighty bureau successful the world. But Leavitt understood that successful today’s media, those voices present person arsenic overmuch acquisition arsenic large newspapers erstwhile did.

It was bumpy astatine times; the aboriginal rollout of binders with files of accusation connected Jeffrey Epstein turned retired to beryllium much locomotion of shame than triumph lap. But overmuch much often, these newer outlets were bringing questions to the fore that the bequest media thin to disregard — not done negligence, but due to the fact that they aren’t niche outlets.

Leavitt understands that the White House property briefing country is simply a two-way street. Its main relation whitethorn beryllium to get the president’s connection to the people, but the property besides brings the concerns of the radical to the White House successful the signifier of questions. Influencers, though merrily mocked, person a precise nonstop narration with their audiences.

Especially younger audiences.

FILE - Andrew Kolvet, shaper of 'The Charlie Kirk Show,' speaks during the nationalist memorial work for Charlie Kirk astatine State Farm Stadium successful Glendale, Arizona, connected Sep.t 21. Kolvet said Leavitt "open[ed] up aggregate seats to caller media voices." (Patrick t. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

I asked Andrew Kolvet, spokesperson for Turning Point USA — which has a steadfast absorption connected educating young voters — astir Leavitt’s tenure, and helium told me, "She has forced bequest quality media to enactment harder to support up portion opening up aggregate seats to caller media voices who person had to rise their fact-checking and editorial games successful a abstraction that desperately needs it. She sparred with them each successful viral exchanges that became must-watch news, adjacent for assemblage kids scrolling their phones."

Kolvet besides couldn’t rather defy adding, "As a TPUSA alumni, she was a blessed warrior conscionable similar Charlie [Kirk]."

Leavitt brought successful voices specified arsenic Andy Ngo, who has been informing of the beforehand of Antifa activists for years, and we person seen much of these convulsive thugs enactment distant — including a person successful Texas who received 100 years successful situation for attacking an ICE facility.

Meanwhile, activistic reporters similar Nick Shirley person been fixed overmuch attraction from Leavitt’s comms shop. He and those similar him person revealed perchance billions of dollars successful fraud.

FILE - The caller media spot (left) wrong the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room offers a accidental for caller voices to question White House property caput Karoline Leavitt. (Taylor Rogers)

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS WIDELY PRAISE KAROLINE LEAVITT AS SHE ANNOUNCES EXIT FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The crushed that opening the White House property briefing country to autarkic quality media and contented creators is Leavitt’s top accomplishment is that, successful each likelihood, it volition past not conscionable her moving on, but agelong aft the Trump medication is gone — nary substance which enactment takes power.

This is because, adjacent if a Democrat wins, it volition beryllium a pugnacious merchantability to commencement kicking retired these outlets that the state has been accustomed to proceeding from. Even for the left, specified a determination would astir apt beryllium excessively censorious to try.

Yes, Leavitt is simply a talented communicator who tin beryllium spoken of successful the aforesaid enactment arsenic large property secretaries specified arsenic Tony Snow and Ari Fleischer. But ultimately, her top publication is opening the doorway for caller media, and by extension, those this caller media represents.

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Leavitt volition beryllium missed, but her dedication to giving each dependable successful the media a just changeable astatine the White House volition enactment with america for a agelong clip to come.