White House Press Secretary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids White House Press Secretary
Logo of the White House.
Incumbent Karoline Leavitt since January 20, 2025
White House Office of the Press Secretary
Appointer	President of the United States
Formation	March 4, 1929; 96 years ago (1929-03-04)
First holder	George Akerson
Salary	$180,000 USD (2024)
Website	https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/

The White House press secretary is a very important person who works for the President of the United States. Their main job is to speak for the president and the U.S. government. They explain what the president, their team, and the government are doing.

The press secretary gathers information about what's happening in the president's administration. They also share the government's views on events around the world. This person talks to news reporters every day, usually in a press briefing. The president chooses the press secretary, and the United States Senate does not need to approve them. Because they talk to the world's media so often, it's a very well-known job.

On January 20, 2025, Karoline Leavitt became the 36th White House press secretary.

How the Press Secretary Job Started

Early Days of Press Relations

In the early years of the United States, there wasn't a special person to talk to reporters. Presidents like Abraham Lincoln had private secretaries who sometimes spoke with the press. These secretaries would check facts or share information.

Over time, more and more journalists started covering the president. The White House staff grew, and some people hired had worked in journalism. This helped them understand how to talk to reporters.

In August 2006, President George W. Bush met with seven former White House press secretaries. They were there before the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room was updated.

Presidents and the Growing Media

By the late 1800s, the number of newspapers had grown a lot. Many more reporters were covering the president. When Grover Cleveland became president in 1884, reporters followed him everywhere. He used his private secretary, Daniel Lamont, to help manage the press. This showed that presidents needed a way to deal with the growing media attention.

Reporters Get a Spot at the White House

Later, reporters started to stay at the White House every day to find stories. This was the beginning of the "White House Press Corps." These reporters would interview visitors and ask the president's secretaries for information.

President Theodore Roosevelt made sure there was a permanent space for reporters. He had a special area built for them in the new executive office building, now called the West Wing. This is where the famous James S. Brady Press Briefing Room is today.

Woodrow Wilson and Regular News Conferences

When Woodrow Wilson became president in 1912, he brought his private secretary, Joseph P. Tumulty, with him. Tumulty worked a lot with the press. He convinced President Wilson to hold regular news conferences, sometimes twice a week. Over a hundred reporters would come to ask questions.

Tumulty also started daily briefings for reporters. This helped create the idea of the White House Press Briefing we know today. He also made rules about when news could be shared.

"White House Spokesman" Appears

President Calvin Coolidge, known as "Silent Cal," actually held many press conferences. During his time, the term "White House spokesman" was used a lot. Reporters could only say that a "White House spokesman" made a statement, not the president directly.

When Herbert Hoover became president in 1929, his aide George E. Akerson was the main person to speak for him. Akerson met with reporters daily. Hoover also set up rules for news, saying what could be directly quoted from him and what was just background information.

The First Official Press Secretary

During President Franklin D. Roosevelt's time, Stephen Early became the first person whose only job was to handle the press. Many people say Early was the first true White House press secretary. He had been a reporter himself.

Early asked Roosevelt for full access to him and for his own statements to be directly quoted. He also convinced Roosevelt to hold press conferences twice a week. Early was known for being open and responsive to reporters.

Roosevelt's press conferences were different. Reporters didn't have to submit questions beforehand. The president's words were for background information only, which helped him speak freely. Early would prepare Roosevelt for these meetings, suggesting what might come up. This is also when the tradition started for a senior reporter to say, "Thank you, Mr. President," to end the session.

The Roosevelt White House grew a lot, and Early helped manage press officers across the government. He also helped Roosevelt use radio for his famous "fireside chats." It was during this time that Early and his job became formally known as the "press secretary."

The Press Secretary's Role Grows

When Dwight D. Eisenhower became president, he chose James Hagerty as his press secretary. Hagerty had been a reporter, which helped him understand what journalists needed.

Hagerty set new rules for how the press secretary would work. He said he wouldn't play favorites and wouldn't give exclusive stories. He also said that when he said "no comment," it meant he wasn't talking, but not necessarily anything more.

Hagerty also changed a long-standing rule: for the first time, everything the president said at a press conference could be printed exactly as he said it. In 1955, TV cameras were allowed in presidential news conferences for the first time.

Hagerty was press secretary for eight years, which is still the longest time anyone has held the job. Eisenhower trusted him so much that the press secretary became a senior advisor to the president.

What Makes a Good Press Secretary?

Experts look at a few things to decide if a press secretary is successful:

• How important they are: Do they take part in big decisions? If they do, they can explain policies better.
• How much freedom they have: Can they explain the president's thoughts and answer tough questions?
• President's trust: Does the president show they trust their press secretary?
• Respect from reporters: Do reporters find them knowledgeable, believable, clear, and quick to provide information?

People generally agree that James Hagerty, who worked for Eisenhower, set the standard. Jody Powell, who worked for President Jimmy Carter, was also seen as very successful because he was a close advisor to Carter.

What the Press Secretary Does

Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks to reporters outside the White House in 2019.

The press secretary's job is to gather information about what the president's team is doing. They also keep up with events around the world. Then, they share this information with the media.

This includes telling reporters:

• The president's schedule for the day.
• Who the president has met or talked to.
• The government's official view on the news of the day.

The press secretary also answers questions from the White House press corps. These are usually in televised briefings or "press gaggles," which are recorded but not always shown on video.

Many people who have been press secretaries used to work in news media themselves. This helps them understand reporters' needs. Some examples include:

• Stephen Early (Roosevelt administration): A reporter for the Associated Press.
• James Hagerty (Eisenhower administration): A reporter for The New York Times.
• Pierre Salinger (Kennedy administration): A reporter and editor.
• Tony Snow (George W. Bush administration): A veteran journalist and TV anchor.
• Jay Carney (Obama administration): A journalist for Time magazine.
• Jen Psaki (Biden administration): A political commentator for CNN.

List of Press Secretaries

Image	Name	Start	End	Duration	President
	Akerson, GeorgeGeorge Akerson	March 4, 1929	March 16, 1931	2 years, 12 days		Hoover, HerbertHerbert Hoover (1929–1933)
	Joslin, TedTed Joslin	March 16, 1931	March 4, 1933	1 year, 353 days
	Early, StephenStephen Early	March 4, 1933	March 29, 1945	12 years, 25 days		Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)
	Daniels, JonathanJonathan Daniels	March 29, 1945	May 15, 1945	47 days
						Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
	Ross, CharlieCharlie Ross	May 15, 1945	December 5, 1950	5 years, 204 days
	Early, StephenStephen Early Acting	December 5, 1950	December 18, 1950	13 days
	Short, JosephJoseph Short	December 18, 1950	September 18, 1952	1 year, 288 days
	Tubby, RogerRoger Tubby	September 18, 1952	January 20, 1953	124 days
	Hagerty, JamesJames Hagerty	January 20, 1953	January 20, 1961	8 years, 0 days		Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
	Salinger, PierrePierre Salinger	January 20, 1961	March 19, 1964	3 years, 59 days		Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
						Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
	Reedy, GeorgeGeorge Reedy	March 19, 1964	July 8, 1965	1 year, 111 days
	Moyers, BillBill Moyers	July 8, 1965	February 1, 1967	1 year, 208 days
	Christian, GeorgeGeorge Christian	February 1, 1967	January 20, 1969	1 year, 354 days
	Ziegler, RonRon Ziegler	January 20, 1969	August 9, 1974	5 years, 201 days		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
	terHorst, JeraldJerald terHorst	August 9, 1974	September 9, 1974	31 days		Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
	Nessen, RonRon Nessen	September 9, 1974	January 20, 1977	2 years, 133 days
	Powell, JodyJody Powell	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981	4 years, 0 days		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
	Brady, JimJim Brady	January 20, 1981	March 30, 1981 (de facto) January 20, 1989 (de jure)	69 days/ 8 years, 0 days		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
	Speakes, LarryLarry Speakes Acting	March 30, 1981	February 1, 1987	5 years, 308 days
	Fitzwater, MarlinMarlin Fitzwater	February 1, 1987 Acting: February 1, 1987 – January 20, 1989	January 20, 1993	1 year, 354 days
				4 years, 0 days		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
	Myers, Dee DeeDee Dee Myers	January 20, 1993	December 22, 1994	1 year, 336 days		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
	Stephanopoulos, GeorgeGeorge Stephanopoulos De facto	January 20, 1993	June 7, 1993	138 days
	McCurry, MikeMike McCurry	December 22, 1994	August 4, 1998	3 years, 225 days
	Lockhart, JoeJoe Lockhart	August 4, 1998	September 29, 2000	2 years, 56 days
	Siewert, JakeJake Siewert	September 30, 2000	January 20, 2001	112 days
	Fleischer, AriAri Fleischer	January 20, 2001	July 15, 2003	2 years, 176 days		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
	McClellan, ScottScott McClellan	July 15, 2003	May 10, 2006	2 years, 299 days
	Snow, TonyTony Snow	May 10, 2006	September 14, 2007	1 year, 127 days
	Perino, DanaDana Perino	September 14, 2007	January 20, 2009	1 year, 128 days
	Gibbs, RobertRobert Gibbs	January 20, 2009	February 11, 2011	2 years, 22 days		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
	Carney, JayJay Carney	February 11, 2011	June 20, 2014	3 years, 129 days
	Earnest, JoshJosh Earnest	June 20, 2014	January 20, 2017	2 years, 214 days
	Spicer, SeanSean Spicer	January 20, 2017	July 21, 2017	182 days		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
	Huckabee Sanders, SarahSarah Huckabee Sanders	July 21, 2017	July 1, 2019	1 year, 345 days
	Grisham, StephanieStephanie Grisham	July 1, 2019	April 7, 2020	281 days
	McEnany, KayleighKayleigh McEnany	April 7, 2020	January 20, 2021	288 days
	Psaki, JenJen Psaki	January 20, 2021	May 13, 2022	1 year, 113 days		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
	Jean-Pierre, KarineKarine Jean-Pierre	May 13, 2022	January 20, 2025	2 years, 252 days
	Leavitt, KarolineKaroline Leavitt	January 20, 2025	Incumbent	152 days		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)

Notes

See Also

In Spanish: Secretario de Prensa de la Casa Blanca para niños

• Press secretary
• Kremlin Press Secretary