Fraser Seitel
Fraser Seitel

Karoline Leavitt is, without question, the perfect White House press secretary … for Donald Trump, that is.

The 27-year-old is undeniably loyal, tough, whip-smart and a hard worker. She’s also an attentive student of the media. As a consequence, she commands her employer’s total trust and confidence, because—most important to Trump—she’s a true believer in his message and mission.

Moreso than her four predecessors—the competent Kayleigh McEnany and Sarah Sanders, and the less competent Stephanie Grisham and Sean Spicer—Leavitt is the ideal spokesperson to trumpet Trump’s philosophy and policies at this moment. But that doesn’t mean her unique approach to media relations is the right one.

It’s revealing, in fact, to compare Leavitt’s opinions on dealing with the press with those of two of the more respected press secretaries of the past, George W. Bush’s Ari Fleischer and Barack Obama’s Robert Gibbs. Here are the unexpurgated views of Leavitt, from a recent interview with Axios co-Founder Mike Allen. Additionally, here are some quotes from Fleischer and Gibbs when they were both at the White House, taken from interviews conducted by a certain public relations textbook author.

Compare and contrast and draw your own conclusions.

What’s the primary mission of the President’s press secretary?

Karoline Leavitt: “When you’re a communicator for someone else, in my case the President of the United States, my job is to message his beliefs, his opinions and what the administration is doing, getting that truth out to the public. When you’re a communicator for someone else, you have to get in their head and view yourself as the messenger for their cause. Success is being as transparent and accessible as we can, messaging the president’s perspective on issues of the day.”

Ari Fleischer: “At its core, the press secretary job is a straight and simple job—to articulate what the President thinks.”

Robert Gibbs: “I am the primary representative for the President with the White House press corps. I help them get access to the information and facts they need to cover what the President does each day.”

How would you characterize your role as a 'counselor' to the President?

Karoline Leavitt: “Probably contrary to popular belief, everyone in White House meetings is invited to share their opinion. I have said, ‘Sir, I disagree with that’ or ‘Maybe we should say it this way.’ Something President Trump doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability and willingness to listen. He’s an incredible listener. He goes to every person in that room to understand their perspective and then he makes a decision.”

Ari Fleischer: “I have ‘walk-in rights’ any time I need to. I probably spend one-quarter to one-third of my day in meetings with the President. Every day, I will tell him what the press is asking, and we’ll talk about it. He takes advice well. By far the best way to speak for the president is to listen to him.”

Robert Gibbs: “The role that I play in parts of my day would typically be reserved for more of a behind-the-scenes advisor. While that does take some of my day away from dealing with reporters, I believe it helps the press get a better sense for who the President is and the reasons for his decisions. It allows me to speak more authoritatively for his viewpoint.”

What's the President’s opinion of the press?

Karoline Leavitt: “President Trump is hostile with the media. There’s no doubt about it. He calls them out, rightfully so, when he believes their stories are fake, when they are fake. I promised we would hold media accountable when they get things wrong. But we also recognize and respect legacy media are speaking to millions of Americans across the country, and we want them to get it right, which is why we engage with them every single day.”

Ari Fleischer: “President Bush respects what they do. He understands the power and importance of informing the public. I think he agrees there are too many games being played by the press, that there is too much cynicism and negativism. But he’s got a wonderful intuition and gut—that he probably picked up from watching his father—that tells him what counts with the public and what trades at a discount with the media.”

Robert Gibbs: “President Obama understands very much the role they play in a representative democracy. He understands that democracy is as strong as the people who cover the President and help the public understand what government is doing and holding it accountable.”

What's your own view of the press?

Karoline Leavitt: “There are reporters who get it right sometimes and reporters who get it wrong. And we have to call them out. Fake news is not just wrong information in a story, but it’s also acting in bad faith as a reporter and not giving who you’re writing about and your sources ample time to respond. There’s nothing worse than when I see a reporter in my inbox 20 minutes before a deadline with an entire story written and panned out. That’s acting in bad faith. They actually don’t care what we have to say. They don’t care about the facts and our point of view. They’re just emailing us to check the box to say they reached out for comment. So, that’s fake news. We live in a combative media environment that has come to fruition over many years. While combative, it also can be cordial.”

Ari Fleischer: “I think we’ve reached a point where the press, in pursuit of this devil’s advocate role, would do well to ask itself if they are ‘informing’ the public or are they being so negative about the institutions they cover that they’re not covering all the news but only the ‘bad news.’ Shades of gray ought to be better reflected, particularly in headlines and leads. There’s a tendency to simplify. In the process, a lot of depth gets lost. That’s why press secretaries are forced sometimes to speak cautiously, in diplobabble and gobbledygook.”

Robert Gibbs: “They do a remarkable job under difficult circumstances. It’s a grueling pace in terms of time and what you give up in terms of your personal life. They ask the right questions. They’re tough, but they’re fair.”

What should be the proper relationship between the White House and the press?

Karoline Leavitt: “Media should report the facts, report the truth. It is true that the majority of legacy media in Washington is left-leaning. There’s no doubt. It’s just a fact. We just want to get the truth out there and make sure the public sees it and sees what we’re doing with no bias, unfiltered, just the facts.”

Ari Fleischer: “It should be highly interactive, free flowing, and marked by a small, inherent amount of tension—the press wants to know 'everything' and sometimes, in the national interest, we can’t tell them—but always in a spirit of professionalism and politeness.”

Robert Gibbs: “I think it’s important to have good relationships. We can disagree, but we can do it in a way that is respectful and personable. I’ve been told this by my predecessors—that the Press Secretary occupies a unique position in the physical structure of the White House. Your office is equidistant from the Oval Office and the Briefing Room. So, your role is one of spokesperson to and advocate for the President, but you’re also the representative of the press inside the White House, in order for them to get the facts, information and access they need. So, there’s a dual role you must play to serve both of the people you are tasked to work for.”

Postscript: Public relations professionals learn, usually with age and maturity, that reporters have a tough job and aren’t paid to please you or your boss. So, their questions are sometimes nosy and their attitude occasionally nasty. But most journalists, like most people at any job, are basically decent individuals trying to support themselves and their families by performing an honest day’s work. Therefore, the most productive public relations-journalist relationships are the ones that are built over time and experience on a level of fairness, trust and mutual respect.

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Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for 40 years. He is the author of the Pearson text “The Practice of Public Relations,” now in its 14th edition and co-author of “Rethinking Reputation” and “Idea Wise.” He may be reached directly at [email protected].