The Morning Briefing: I'm Going to Miss Karoline Leavitt Kneecapping the Press Hacks

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Thursday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. The Sine Qua Non Sequitur is hosting a fundraiser for medium-privileged Skee-Ball competitors.

The difference between President Trump's administration during his first term and the team that's surrounded him since last year has been a frequent topic of conversation among those of us who support him.

Round one was, shall we say, chaotic. President Trump himself has admitted that the transition from the corporate world to the political world was a tough one. So many of the people who he thought he could trust were mostly with him just to get an eventual tell-all book deal. The turnover seemed to be happening daily. All of the drama certainly got in the way of what he wanted to accomplish.

Trump hasn't gotten as far as he has by never learning from his mistakes. His choices for Team 47 have, for the most part, been stellar. Everyone is on board with his vision and willing to do whatever is needed to see it through.

There have been some real rockstars in this group, and we've discussed them here frequently. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have been functioning as the offensive line for Trump's quarterback.

I've marveled at how well all of them handle the ever-hostile press, which is refreshing after decades of watching Republicans get steamrolled. Leavitt has had to put the press hacks in their places most often, of course, and she's been positively brilliant at it. Alas, we will no longer be able to enjoy her verbal beatdowns of Kaitlan Collins. This is from Sarah:

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that one of the most popular and visible faces of his administration is stepping down.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her post at the end of August to spend more time with her "beautiful children." However, Trump says she will continue to be one of his "top outside advisors" and an "influential voice within the Republican Party."

I told Sarah on Slack that I thought this would probably happen soon after Leavitt had her second baby. The press secretary gig also tends to historically be a relatively short-lived one. It's a blessing that Leavitt will get some quality family time, but she will be sorely missed.

If there was a White House Press Secretary hall of fame, Leavitt would be a shoo-in. I've really enjoyed the work of many of the press secretaries who worked for Republican presidents, but Leavitt may be my favorite.

Many conservatives of a certain age have a soft spot for the late Tony Snow, and that's understandable. I think that what sets Leavitt apart is that the Dems' flying monkeys in the mainstream media she's had to face have been some of the worst of all time. It's not just that, though. What has been most enjoyable about Leavitt's tenure is the obvious delight she takes in correcting the biased, agenda-driven propagandists in the press room.

Like Leavitt, her Republican predecessors were all very well prepared and excellent at their jobs. Unlike most of them, Karoline Leavitt seemed positively gleeful every time one of the biased water-carriers needed to be told to shut up without explicitly being told to shut up. She's been President Trump's most joyful and humorous enforcer.

Last February, I wrote that "Leavitt's continued manhandling of the press is pure poetry." She's been a shining light in a workplace environment filled mostly with people who want to keep things as dark as possible. She's going to be a very difficult act to follow. When Leavitt went on maternity leave, Marco Rubio filled in for her during one press briefing. He's become such a Swiss army knife for this administration that he might want to duck the president's for a few days.

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The Mailbag of Magnificence

Friend of the Briefing Paul S. gets us started:

Kruiser I recently came across news about AOC's decision to freeze her eggs, and initially, I didn't think much of it. However, upon reflection, I couldn't help but draw parallels to Trump's tactics of provoking reactions from the left with controversial statements. It seems like AOC might be adopting a similar strategy for her potential Senate or presidential campaign. BTW, this is definitely not the email I wrote. Out of curiosity I hit "improve" this is what I got. I was a lot less diplomatic. Gotta love, or hate AI.

I don't know if the Universe was whispering to me, but the same day I led off the MB with AOC she announced that she and her fiancé had split up. The egg-freezing news makes more sense in light of that. We do know that Squeaky is very good at provoking reactions on both sides of the aisle. Her eggs-in-waiting might be a political liability, though. Haven't the climate change hysterics been telling us to stop breeding in order to save the planet? For all of the people who won't be there because we stopped breeding?

Will keeps the Bangkok conversation going:

Mr. Kruiser, I have been to Bangkok...twice. In fact, my wife is from there. And, yes, she is an immigrant to the U.S. Weird, though: she went through the process legally. She arrived on our shores through a student visa, earned a Ph.D. from a top school in her field, returned to Thailand when she was required to do so, and returned to the U.S. through the fiancee visa program. She went through the naturalization process and became a U.S. citizen. She taught in a college for a decade before retiring. She speaks excellent English. She converted to Christianity from Buddhism before she ever moved to the U.S. And she is politically very conservative. So, I am not anti-immigrant: I am anti-illegal immigrant, and is my wife.

I've written on many occasions about how the left deftly transformed the narrative from "illegal immigrants" to "migrants," with several euphemistic stops along the way. Sadly, I've also written that too many Republicans played along with the nonsense. I am very happy that we have someone in our midst with Bangkok experience. If we ever have a MB meetup there we'll know where to find beer.

Betty Z. wraps things up for us today:

Hi Kruiser! Your hilarious comment, "Show us on the doll where Israel touched you, Mr. Carlson,” illustrates my immediate thought on seeing that candid photo of Tucker: Put that face on the body of a 6-year-old boy and it is Tucker to a T. A spoiled kid who is no longer getting his way so he is acting out to get attention. He and Hunter are actually alike: Tucker is addicted to fawning attention that is no longer there. Poor, poor, Tucker. Love starting my day with you, Kruiser, and my coffee is at my elbow.

He does have a "taking my ball and going home" look in that picture. I realized that on the rare occasions that I wrote about Tucker before he was insane, I would usually mention that when I watched him he seemed to be having a good time. I don't think he is anymore; at least not the way he used to.

Thanks to all! See you tomorrow.

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POTUS Press Today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08/12/26

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2026

In-Town Pool
TV Corr & Crew: FOX
Secondary TV Corr: Scripps
Photos: AP, AFP, NYT, Reuters, Getty
Print: New York Post
Secondary Print: USA Today
Radio: BBC
New Media: The Federalist

EDT:
9:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

8:00 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time
The White House
Closed Press

11:00 AM THE PRESIDENT receives his Intelligence Briefing
The White House
Closed Press

2:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in Signing Time
Oval Office
Closed Press

3:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in Signing Time
Oval Office
Closed Press

5:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting
Oval Office
Closed Press

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