The press secretary has been taking friendly, made-for-camera questions at “new media” press briefings that are separate from the ones involving the White House press pool

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (L); MAGA Influencer Link Lauren (R). Credit :Andrew Harnik/Getty; The White House/Youtube

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took the podium on Monday, April 28, for a new kind of briefing — this one to a room full of “new media” MAGA influencers eager to get social media soundbites.

“This is our first influencer briefing,” Leavitt announced.

“As I promised in my first briefing as press secretary back in January, the Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who traditionally has covered this institution,” she said. “All journalists, outlets and voices have a seat at the table now.”

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The first new media briefing came just over two weeks after Donald Trump’s administration removed the designated position for wire services in the daily press pool rotation — its latest strike against The Associated Press. Trump banned the AP from White House coverage in February for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” in its coverage.

Pro-Trump influencer Arynne Wexler got the very first question during Monday’s briefing. But before she asked her question about trans athletes, Wexler thanked Leavitt and the Trump administration both for her White House access and their immigration crackdown.

“I can attest to the deportations in Florida, my Uber drivers finally speak English again,” she quipped.

A followup influencer briefing on Tuesday, April 29, continued in the same vein, including plenty of fawning questions about President Trump and even the press secretary herself.

One conservative personality, Link Lauren, drew plenty of attention due to his gushy opening line and distinctive appearance, earning him the nickname “MAGA Malfoy.”

Link Lauren, dubbed “MAGA Malfoy” by social media users, asks a question during the White House’s “new media” press briefing on Tuesday, April 29.The White House/Youtube

Lauren formerly served as an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the Democrat-turned-independent’s failed presidential bid. He got the job at just 25, having gained a following on TikTok.

Now, however, Lauren is a big fan of the Trump White House. He posed a fawning “question” to Leavitt about being a “very high-profile young mother who seems to juggle and balance it all beautifully,” and even filmed a TikTok from the White House lawn.

“The White House is a lot nicer than it used to be than the last four years under Joe Biden, where it was a cesspool, with topless trans people on the White House lawn, cocaine everywhere, and Jill Biden’s self tanner ruining every single chair in the Oval Office,” Lauren said in his video.

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Monday’s influencer briefing was also attended by former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who now hosts a podcast following a canceled Newsmax show and a stint on Dancing With the Stars.

“A lot of conservatives will ask me ‘Why does [Trump] sit down with people like Terry Moran of ABC or Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic?’ What is the rationale behind that rewarding people who have very vehemently expressed disdain for him personally?” Spicer asked Leavitt.

“The president is unafraid,” she replied, “and he is inspired by competition.”

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Sean Spicer receives a note from Trump aide Boris Epshteyn during a 2017 White House press briefing.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty

Rogan O’Handley, also known as “DC Draino,” did ask a pointed question of Leavitt, inquiring about the long-promised Department of Justice files on Jeffrey Epstein.

“Do you have any updates from the DOJ or the FBI on when those files are expected to be released?” he asked. “And also, when we might start seeing some arrests of the client list?”

However, he asked no follow-ups when the press secretary failed to answer his questions.

“I will tell you the attorney general is a bulldog,” Leavitt said simply, praising AG Pam Bondi. “She is someone you want on your team. And when she wants to get something done, she gets it done. I’ve seen her do it in various instances already in her time as attorney general. And when she makes a promise, she keeps it.”

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters outside the West Wing on Feb. 6.Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty

Leavitt also used the influencer briefing to once again tout Trump’s flirtation with an unconstitutional third term as president, telling the assembled group that the administration is working to “ensure the president’s executive actions can remain long after his tenure so you don’t have another president coming in here in eight years and undo some of the executive work the president has worked so hard on.”

Her added emphasis on “eight” is just the latest indication that the Trump administration is making plans behind the scenes for the president to find a way to stay in office beyond what the Constitution allows.

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Last week, Trump’s official online store began selling “Trump 2028” hats, and the president has previously insisted he was “not joking” about seeking a third term.

In a March 18 interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation, Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon said he was “working on” ideas to get the president elected again.

“I think we’ll have a couple of alternatives,” Bannon said. “We’ll see what the definition of term limit is.”

“I’m a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028,” he added. “We’ve had greater long shots than Trump 2028.”