Karoline Leavitt says she has PTSD. How stressful is it to be White House press secretary?

From the long line of presidential press secretaries, few have captured the world’s attention quite like Karoline Leavitt. A 28-year-old Gen-Z conservative voice, always up with a full-throttle defence of President Donald Trump’s policies, she is devoted to her job. That comes at a price. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, the youngest press secretary in US history candidly said that she is suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).   

Leavitt sheds light on the ‘challenging job’ under Trump. Here’s what it takes.   

Leavitt talks about PTSD 

Recently, in an interview with the Daily Mail, the White House press secretary said that she has developed PTSD while working under President Trump. However, Leavitt was quick to clarify that it’s not due to the “unruly press corps”. 

“Honestly, I have PTSD about making plans, so I just don’t,” she admitted to the Daily Mail. 

Struggling to manage her personal life due to the frenetic schedule, she went on to say, “Definitely, it’s very difficult to make plans in this job.” 

“My husband and I had three different mini weekend getaway vacations this summer. All three got cancelled due to foreign policy events,” Leavitt continued, explaining her situation. She is married to Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real estate developer.   
  
Leavitt had no choice but to cancel a trip home to New Hampshire with her husband this summer after a last-minute event popped up on Trump’s calendar. “But that’s part of the job, and it’s what makes it fun and challenging and keeps every day new. And it’s, you know, it’s temporary. We’re one year down. We got three to go,” she said, referring to the president’s four-year term.  

‘24/7 job, whack-a-mole’

From how she combs through the day’s news to spending all day hammering outlets, and being ready for critical face time with Trump in the Oval Office, Leavitt describes her 24/7 job as a “whack-a-mole”. 

She says she starts her day before the “sun comes up”.

An average day with a press briefing begins at 5 am, with a 5.30 am workout three days a week. She prefers hitting the gym to pilates. “I come straight to the gym here… Usually, on briefing days, the first one in the West Wing,” she added.

Work starts by reading the newspapers that are delivered daily to the West Wing. According to Leavitt, she reads every paper from front to back, advice she received from former press secretary Dana Perino, who now hosts a Fox News show. Next, she moves to watching major cable outlets.

The softball player-turned White House aide has a dozen TVs constantly buzzing in her office. And in the meantime, Leavitt said that ‘she effectively handles roughly 300 press requests the White House receives daily.”   

While outlining her tight schedule, she told the media outlet that “demands of being the White House press secretary are as extraordinary as the honour of holding the post”, adding that being “press secretary, especially for President Trump, is a 24/7 job.” 

“Even when I’m home, I spend a lot of time on the phone or checking the news,” Leavitt furthered.

She makes calls to Cabinet members when her deputies cannot, and sometimes even to Trump when she is at home. 

Amid all the chaos that her job entails, Leavitt had strong advice for young girls: “There is no substitute for hard work.”   

Understanding PTSD 

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe mental health condition that occurs in people after direct or indirect exposure to a traumatic event. The trauma could be a natural disaster, a pandemic, domestic abuse or violent assault. 

One can have PTSD if they experience post-exposure symptoms for more than a month. 

It is associated with four sets of symptoms: intrusive thoughts, including nightmares and flashbacks, decreased concentration and increasing depression. According to medical experts, the disorder is treatable, and recovery is possible. Psychotherapy, peer support networks, coping techniques and medication can easily reduce the symptoms.   

Trump’s past press secretaries   

President Trump had four official press secretaries during his first term: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany. 

All of them lasted for less than a year, except Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who held the position from July 2017 to June 2019. 

Leavitt has served just over 300 days, which means she has already beaten her other three predecessors.  

With inputs from agencies