As the midterms get closer, the White House is confronting another topic instead: internal drama. From speculation about press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s replacement, to coverage of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s wife getting unusually involved at the Pentagon, to further talk about President Donald Trump’s executive assistant, Natalie Harp, this week has underscored the administration’s difficulty controlling its message.
Trump aides are engaging and even hitting back on the staff stories, including a subtweet from Dan Scavino that made the rounds among DC Republicans.
It’s all raising the question of how soon the White House may need to line up a Leavitt successor ahead of her departure at month’s end.
Some of Trump’s allies see this week as proof that press relations are ready for a reboot.
“A press secretary can only help so much, this is a personnel issue and a press issue,” one person close to the White House told Semafor. “Maybe more turnover and fresh faces is just what the White House and administration needs.”