White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's imminent departure is about to set off a West Wing exodus amid worries President Donald Trump will go off the rails, according to report Friday.
Politico Playbook wrote that Leavitt, along with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, have long been regarded as a calming influence, keeping the president from following his worst impulses.
Now there are worries about the void she will leave.
According to the report, even as Trump's biggest defender, Leavitt "found ways to tell him no" — which set her apart from sycophants eager to agree with whatever he said.
"She knew him better than any of the four preceding press secretaries, and she understood the job," Sean Spicer, another veteran press secretary, told Playbook. "There's no one that had that relationship like she did. That longevity, that familiarity."
Leavitt served in the first Trump White House, worked on his 2020 campaign and "spent years learning both Trump and the machinery around him," the report noted.
According to a senior White House official speaking with Politico, "A lot of the men around are yes men. So it's often up to Karoline and Susie Wiles to tell the president what he doesn't want to hear."
After stating, "He can tell when people are just yes-ing him to death,” the official was asked if they were worried what will happen once she is gone.
"I do," they replied. "I really do.”
Multiple officials told Playbook that multiple extra West Wing departures are definitely expected "before the end of the year."