White House Roundup
Friday September 4, 2026
Press Briefing by Vice President JD Vance: A Look at the Legacy of Former Press Secretary Leavitt
On Thursday September 3rd Vice President JD Vance spoke on a broad array of topics to White House Correspondents. In his reply to a reporter, in the New Media Seat, about the former press secretary, he spoke very highly of her.
Former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt resigned at the end of August after giving birth to her daughter on May 1, 2026, and following her brief return from maternity leave. Vice President Vance in glowing comments about her noted that she was an amazing person, mom and colleague. He added that she was an amazing part of the cohesive team they have in the West Wing.
Further, the Vice President underscored that she’s going to be great with whatever she does next. And that he was very grateful to her. He also issued a direct message to her saying, “Thank you for your service, thank you for your friendship and thank you for doing a great job.”
He noted that one of her many legacies was the inclusion of New Media to the White House Press Corps. Given that under her leadership, the Press Briefing Room was opened to non-legacy media.
Vice President Vance elaborated on why it mattered. He observed that if you looked at one of the biggest transformations in the country in the last 20-30 years, it’s the rise of digital technology. For this industry it means a lot of people have been able to get access to information, to tell stories to the American people, despite their credentials, because they have something interesting to say.
The Vice President further argued that for too long this room (The Briefing Room), and this city (Washington DC), have tried to lock out non-legacy media. He submitted that’s because they see non-legacy media as a threat to themselves. However, the Trump Administration thinks that this was an amazing way to democratize access to information, he maintained. In addition, he opined that one should not have to have a fancy credential or a lot of money to tell a story to the American people. And contended that if one thinks about the heart of the First Amendment it was that all of us are allowed to speak but in practice only some people are actually allowed at the microphone. If only some people are allowed access, then it strikes not just the heart of one’s ability to tell a story, but it actually makes it harder for people to get access to their First Amendment rights.
Vice President Vance also contended that to a lot of Americans they were not represented by the information that was on the airwaves and traditional media. He stressed that they would stay committed to this legacy, and that they will build on it. New Media and other media types should expect to have lots of access in the months and years to come just as the traditional media does, he stated.
Finally, he pointed out that not to brag on his boss, President Trump, who has set about to make theirs the most transparent administration in history, that in comparison to the last administration, the level of access to the president of the United States, the vice president, senior team is just completely off the charts.
He also specified that President Trump provides lots of access to the press because he believes that a part of governing in a Constitutional Republic is to make himself accessible to the American people. They will continue to do so with non-traditional media and will continue to do so with traditional media, he emphasized. This will be a part of the Trump Administration’s approach as they continue to govern the country and govern it well; he expounded.
Other issues he addressed included gas prices, inflation, power plants vs. data centers, elections, bond markets, Iran, Senate leadership, cybersecurity, manufacturing, closing fraud loopholes and US Military.
Written by Cherub Nicholls and Photos captured by Cherub Nicholls.