Being a White House press secretary is not a job for an amateur. However, it seems the Donald Trump administration goes out of its way to find those without media training to stand on the podium. Not everyone can be CJ Cregg.
One such example is Karoline Leavitt. Blonde white young Christian woman, she ticks all the boxes for public exposure. Yet she has next to no training in handling media or press. Her everyday bizarre responses leave much to be desired during briefings.
Amongst these, Ms. Leavitt has now introduced a new policy. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed a policy where she and colleagues have decided not to respond to journalists who use gender pronouns in their email signatures. As expected there has been immense backlash since this announcement.
The backlash is mainly from the LGBTQ community and media personnel. However, as expected, members of the Trump administration fully support this decision. According to Leavitt, this decision reflects the administration’s principles and understanding of “biological reality.”
“As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios.” – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pic.twitter.com/B5DgyqbTP2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 9, 2025
Among those supporting Karoline Leavitt is Donald Trump Jr. He earlier tweeted in support of this policy.
He expressed his unwavering support for Leavitt’s position. He also commended her for adopting what he called “common sense.” In his tweet, Don Jr. wrote that Karoline Leavitt is standing up for the truth and science. He went on to call the world a mad place.
Amazing 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/Ag6Lp1BZ6q
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 10, 2025
His support shows the stand of the Trump administration on LGBTQ rights and recognition. It also shows how the administration opposes the growing popularity of pronoun inclusion in public and professional settings.
Leavitt clarified that the choice to avoid interaction with reporters was deliberate. The decision came from the conviction that such behavior indicates a rejection of objective truth. She had earlier stated that the journalists who sign their pronouns with their names are not interested in their work. Those people are more concerned with showcasing their ideologies.
The administration argues that when journalists use language that they perceive to be politically motivated, public confidence in the media is damaged.
The irony of talking about damaged confidence from Karoline Leavitt is not lost on anyone. She is the same person who advocated the President’s idea of deporting American citizens to gulags.
Leavitt’s office is not the only one with this policy. Multiple press assistants in the Trump White House are reportedly following the same procedure. They are purposefully avoiding emails from reporters whose email signatures include gender pronouns.
This campaign has been subtly expanded to include contacts with a number of significant media outlets. This indicates a concerted communication plan.
Said press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios.”
Cruelty is the point. They are just demeaning for the fun of it. These are our “leaders”. Disgustinghttps://t.co/nPeLdaICU7
— Scott Goldstein (@ScottGoldstein) April 9, 2025
However, the media and press are not happy with the way the Trump administration and its surrogates are dealing with the issue. Prominent media outlets have retaliated. They have claimed that the regulation is harmful to press freedom and discriminating. Karoline Leavitt and Tam have been called out, saying that dodging questions from credentialed journalists based on how they identify is a clear disregard for the democratic function of the government.
Watchdogs in the media caution that this strategy creates a concerning precedent for press relations.
As a show of respect and inclusivity, several newsrooms and journalists have started using pronouns in their email signatures in recent years. The Trump administration’s denial of this convention highlights the growing political and cultural gap over gender identity and expression.
Americans are seeing their 401k’s collapse! This was Trump / Putin’s plan all along! #trump #tariffs #401k #stocks #invest #fail #vance #usa pic.twitter.com/6nj8ffcpSF
— Toronto News Network 🇨🇦 (@TorontoNN) April 2, 2025
However, this could be a conceited plan to distract attention away from the recent tariff and trade deals. Donald Trump’s attempt to place tariffs on several nations has backfired badly. Many of his colleagues and even billionaire backers have opposed these plans.
This policy could be a way to hinder the news cycle and give people something else to talk about. However, it is not going as well as Karoline Leavitt might have imagined. As we said earlier, not everyone can be CJ Cregg.
