Former press secretary Dana Perino gave some interesting advice to current press secretary Karoline Leavitt during an interview with USA Today in 2025. Although she wants to keep some tricks of the trade just between herself and Leavitt, she did offer some public advice for President Donald Trump’s press secretary — perhaps a sign that Perino wants to score a spot on Leavitt’s good side. “I always keep my advice to press secretaries private,” Perino told USA Today. “I will say this though, she’s got an exceedingly bright future, and I’m excited to be around her. She is funny, she is self-deprecating, she’s a fierce loyalist, and you probably want her on your side, I would say.” Perino added, “But I really admire her too, as a young mom and trying to figure all of that out, because it’s an all-consuming job, and she does it quite well. She always has a smile, and I think that helps her, and it definitely helps (Trump).”

However, those who’ve seen Leavitt’s interactions from behind the lectern at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the West Wing at the White House are likely scratching their heads at this praise given that Leavitt rarely smiles (except to sneer at reporters or make a press briefing blunder, perhaps). Posting a photo of Leavitt looking especially testy, X user Brittany Belle wrote, “Does Karoline Leavitt ever smile, or is she just powered entirely by anger and misinformation?”

Since she first took the job in early 2025, Leavitt’s conduct as the White House press secretary has drawn both ire and praise, depending on who you ask.

Karoline Leavitt has had a controversial reign as press secretary

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Dana Perino has revealed a bit about what her time in the White House was really like, and admits that the job is very different from when she was press secretary for former President George W. Bush between 2007 and 2009. “In January 2009, when I left the White House, I didn’t have a Twitter account,” Perino told USA Today. “I didn’t have a Facebook account. There were not all of these ways to communicate, and I do think in some ways they benefit, in some ways it’s harder.”

Historically, the White House press secretary’s job is a tough one. Press secretaries serve as the media liaison for the President of the United States and their administration. Often on the receiving end of tough questions from the media, press secretaries have to learn how to remain cool under pressure, the art of which Karoline Leavitt has not seemed to master, demonstrating what she’s like in real life. While former press secretaries have experienced tense interactions with the media, few have gone so far as to openly criticize and spar with news reporters like Leavitt has.

Leavitt is also known to frequently snap at reporters’ questions and call them harsh names. When asked by HuffPost whose idea it was for Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to meet in Hungary, Leavitt angrily responded, “Your mom,” according to the Independent. “It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic],” Leavitt told the HuffPost reporter. “You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don’t tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls*** questions.” We can’t imagine her saying that with a smile on her face.