Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment
President says department secretaries will temporarily handle press briefings.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment
Photograph: The Straits Times (embedded from source)
What this story says
- US President Donald Trump will not immediately appoint a new White House press secretary.
- Department secretaries will temporarily conduct press conferences in place of a dedicated spokesperson.
- Trump stated he has received numerous nominations for the role and may have a top pick.
- The position has been vacant since Karoline Leavitt departed at the end of August.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 8 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 6 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
41/100
14 sources · methodology
Missing from the left
Only 1 of the 8 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he will not immediately fill the vacant position of White House press secretary. The role has been empty since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August. Trump told reporters before departing Ireland that department secretaries would temporarily handle press conferences.
Trump indicated that he has received many nominations for the press secretary job. He also suggested that he might have identified a preferred candidate over the weekend. Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the position, reportedly left to spend more time with her family after the birth of her second child in May.
Coverage Disagreements
The Straits Times reported that Trump said he would wait to fill the post, while in.gr stated he would not cover the vacancy immediately. Both outlets reported that department secretaries would be used for press conferences. The Straits Times noted Leavitt's departure was linked to the upcoming midterm elections, a detail not mentioned by in.gr.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports mentioned the potential impact of Leavitt's departure on the upcoming midterm congressional elections, a detail included in The Straits Times report.
Coverage settled. We checked this 16 times and stopped on 19 Sept 2026, 13:15. The figures above are what it finished at.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated reports from in.gr and La Presse focused on Trump's statement that he would not immediately fill the White House press secretary position. Both noted that department secretaries would temporarily conduct press conferences. in.gr mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance are already familiar with these briefings, and also referred to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. La Presse stated Trump was not going to fill the spokesperson role immediately.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The 15min.lt article reported that Donald Trump announced on Sunday he would not name a new White House press secretary for a while, describing the role as “Baltųjų rūmų spaudos sekretoriaus”. The LRT digest conveyed the same statement, noting the post has been vacant since the end of August and that Trump said he was “in no rush” to fill it.
- Both centre reports omitted any explanation for the delay, any projected date for a replacement, and any comments from White House officials or external analysts. Neither piece mentioned potential candidates, the impact on daily briefings, or any cost considerations associated with the vacancy.
Right
5 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports from The Straits Times, Washington Examiner, news-pravda.com, vz.ru, WND, and WND News Center highlighted Trump's announcement that he would delay filling the press secretary post. The Straits Times mentioned Leavitt's departure comes as Trump faces sinking poll numbers and the Republican Party risks defeat in November. Washington Examiner and WND/WND News Center reported Trump hinted at a shortlist of candidates and may have developed a top pick. news-pravda.com and vz.ru named specific department heads, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who would temporarily perform the duties. WND and WND News Center used the quote "Many people want it" in their headlines.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment?
- Of the 8 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 13% are rated left, 24% are rated centre, 63% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 14. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 8 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment biased?
- Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment is one event reported by 14 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Trump to Delay White House Press Secretary Appointment?
- 14 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why is the White House press secretary position vacant?
- The position has been vacant since the end of August following the departure of Karoline Leavitt. She reportedly left to devote more time to her family after the birth of her second child.
- Who will conduct White House press conferences in the interim?
- President Donald Trump stated that department secretaries will temporarily hold press conferences. He indicated that individuals such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would be involved.
- Has President Trump chosen a replacement for the press secretary role?
- Trump indicated that he has received numerous nominations for the position and suggested he may have developed a top pick over the weekend. However, he has not yet announced a permanent replacement.
Read it at the source
28 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- Donald Trump exposes Karoline Leavitt's fill-in as he sparks confusion (opens Irish Star in a new tab)
Irish Star — is Irish Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Will Not Immediately Fill Levitt's Position (opens in.gr in a new tab)
- Trump Does Not Intend to Fill the White House Spokesman Position Immediately (opens La Presse in a new tab)
Centre
2Right
8- United States: Donald Trump Will Not Immediately Replace Karoline Leavitt at White House Parolat (opens Le Parisien in a new tab)
Le Parisien — is Le Parisien biased? Our profile of this outlet
- White House without a Press Secretary After Levitt's Departure: Who Will Trump Send to Briefings? (opens Protothema in a new tab)
Protothema — is Protothema biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump says will wait to fill press secretary post (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump offers update on White House press secretary sweepstakes (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The functions of the White House press secretary will be performed for some time by the heads of US departments (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Has Announced Rubio and Bessent as the White House's Interim Press Secretary. (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- ‘Many people want it’: Trump says he may have developed top pick for press secretary this weekend * WND News Center (opens wndnewscenter.org in a new tab)
wndnewscenter.org — is wndnewscenter.org biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Many people want it’: Trump says he may have developed top pick for press secretary this weekend * WorldNetDaily * by Joe Kovacs (opens WND in a new tab)
Not rated
15- White House: Who Will Conduct Briefings After Levitt's Departure (opens insider.gr in a new tab)
insider.gr — is insider.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Says He Won't Have a Press Secretary: He'll Send His Ministers to Speak to the Press (opens δημοκρατία in a new tab)
δημοκρατία
- US: White House without Press Secretary - “We Will Put Ministers” (opens sigmalive.com in a new tab)
sigmalive.com — is sigmalive.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump: He Won't Rush to Fill the Void Left by White House Press Secretary Levitt (opens sofokleousin.gr in a new tab)
sofokleousin.gr — is sofokleousin.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Delays Replacing Leavitt (opens hbl.fi in a new tab)
- Trump Delays Replacing Leavitt (opens Sydsvenskan in a new tab)
Sydsvenskan — is Sydsvenskan biased? Our profile of this outlet
- White House: No Press Secretary After Levitt's Departure (opens zougla.gr in a new tab)
- Trump Will Not Rush to Fill the Void Left by the Departure of White House Press Secretary Levitt (opens ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 in a new tab)
ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 — is ΑΘΗΝΑ 9,84 biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 7 more
- Trump: White House Press Secretary Position Will Not Be Filled Immediately After Levitt's Departure (opens enikos.gr in a new tab)
- Trump: Ministers Temporarily in White House Briefings After Levitt's Departure (opens ertnews.gr in a new tab)
ertnews.gr — is ertnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- USA: Trump in No Rush to Replace Caroline Levitt (opens NewsBomb in a new tab)
- Trump Assigned U.S. Ministers to Act as White House Press Secretary (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
- Trump Will Not Rush the Appointment of a New Press Secretary (opens Business Daily in a new tab)
Business Daily — is Business Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Delays White House Press Secretary Appointment (opens newscentraltv.com in a new tab)
newscentraltv.com — is newscentraltv.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Is Devastated: He Can't Even find... a Press Secretary for the White House (opens bankingnews.gr in a new tab)
bankingnews.gr — is bankingnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
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