Anna Kelly: 5 things on Karoline Leavitt deputy gaining focus with White House Press Secretary on maternity leave
Anna Kelly is White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s deputy and is gaining attention with the latter on maternity leave. However, she has not won over everyone in the West Wing, as per reports.
Leavitt had noted, while speaking to Washington Examiner, that there would be a rotating cast of cabinet members filling in for her role during her absence, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Nonetheless, Kelly is reportedly gaining attention, as per the Daily Mail. Here is all you need to know about Leavitt’s deputy.
Anna Kelly: 5 things to know
- Kelly is 29 years old. She won 2019 Miss State Fair of Virginia crown.
- Kelly is no stranger to television appearances, and has been seen on Trump-friendly outlets like Real America’s Voice, One America News and Fox.
- In Leavitt’s absence, Kelly’s role includes staffing the President on trips and making regular TV appearances.
- Kelly is a self-proclaimed feminist, as per a 2017 Facebook post, the Mail reported.
- She was raised in Virginia but spent her adult years in Wisconsin.
Kelly’s earlier posts reportedly hint at larger ambitions. “I am a firm believer that pageants are the single best preparation tool for young women who hope to run for office someday like myself,” she had written in 2016, as per the Mail.
Anna Kelly has not won everyone over
Kelly has reportedly been firmly in the news cycle now, but not everyone is convinced that she’s the right fit to step into Leavitt’s role.
“[Kelly] needs more polish despite being a former pageant contestant,” a former RNC official told the Mail. Another administration official added “Good on TV, but I wouldn’t say she could completely fill Karoline’s shoes.”
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While Kelly has made a name for her tough approach to the media, as per the Mail report, some in the White House press corps privately prefer her to Leavitt. “Karoline has been absolutely dreadful, wrecking the credibility of the press shop by just repeating Trump’s nonsense,” a White House reporter told the Mail, adding that Kelly, in contrast, had ‘always been pleasant’ and would work to ‘get a quote’.
Leavitt officially had her last press conference on Monday, which was a last-minute appearance to address Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting. Now, she’s expected to take a couple weeks for her maternity leave. However, it is not clear when she will return and the exact timing is ‘to be determined,’ as per the Mail which cited a White House official.