Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt wants social media influencers to ask the questions

As expected, Trump tapped Leavitt for the high-profile press secretary job shortly after his November 5 election victory, praising her as smart, tough and a proven, highly effective communicator.

But in the first Trump administration, the job was a poison chalice. His first press secretary, Sean Spicer, quit after six months, outraged over Trump’s hiring of financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. (Scaramucci lasted 10 days). Sarah Sanders served for two years, followed by Stephanie Grisham, who held no press briefings during her nine-month tenure, and finally Kayleigh McEnany, for Trump’s final nine months.

While the press secretary’s job is to spin on the president’s behalf, Leavitt is leaning into that part of the role mercilessly. Before the inauguration she told New Hampshire TV station WMUR that all Americans realised it was time to support Trump. “The whole world is on President Trump’s side, it really feels that way,” she said.

On Tuesday, at her briefing room debut, Leavitt took questions for about 45 minutes in a fast-talking, assured, take-no-prisoners style, wearing a mulberry-coloured suit and a crucifix around her neck. She promised to tell the truth – which was easy, she said, as Trump’s policies were “wildly popular”. She railed against US taxpayers’ money being spent on “condoms in Gaza”, and insisted all immigrants in the US illegally should be regarded as criminals, not just those convicted of violent crimes.

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“I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that’s exactly what they are,” she said.

And after laying down the welcome mat for podcasters, influencers and the new media set, Leavitt put the so-called legacy media – newspapers, radio, television and newswires – on notice. While not indulging in Trump’s preferred term of “fake news”, she accused mainstream outlets of pushing “lies” about Trump and his family.

“We will not accept that,” Leavitt said. “We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this White House. I will hold myself to the truth, and I expect everyone in this room to do the same.”

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