JD Vance recently revealed that Donald Trump joked about giving him the job of White House press secretary after Karoline Leavitt left. Leavitt stepped down at the end of August 2026. Leavitt said she left to spend more time with her family after her daughter was born.
JD Vance said Donald Trump joked about making him Karoline Leavitt’s replacement if he performed too well
In a report by The Mirror, JD Vance recently took over the briefing room amid the White House Press Secretary vacancy. The Vice President shared that Donald Trump is considering appointing him.
At the podium, he said Trump jokingly warned him not to do too well and to “be careful” (via PBS). According to Vance, the President said this because if he does the temporary role too well, the latter might consider giving him the position permanently. He said, “It’s funny, before I came out here, I was talking with the president in the Oval Office, and he said, ‘Be careful. I want you to do well, but if you do too well, I might make you the press secretary.”
Moreover, during the briefing, White House correspondent Peter Doocy of Fox News also asked Vance, “Are we addressing you as Vice President or Press Secretary?”
He also compared himself to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He asserted that he has “not yet accepted any additional jobs (like Rubio), though I guess the Fraud Task Force co-chair is my second additional job.” Vance also added that, despite taking on briefings while the White House Press Secretary position remains vacant, he is “busy enough as it is.” Thus, he said he is in the briefing room “as the vice president.”
Trump confirmed Leavitt’s exit on Truth Social. She also took to X and wrote, “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision.”
