New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman claimed President Donald Trump has been “lashing out” behind the scenes and that some unhappy White House staffers may be considering their own departures following press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s exit.
Haberman joined MS NOW host Peter Alexander on Thursday’s edition of “State of Play,” where she discussed her reporting on the atmosphere inside Trump’s White House.
Alexander specifically asked about Leavitt, who completed her final day as White House press secretary Thursday. Leavitt said she was leaving the position to spend more time with her family after giving birth to her second child in May. She will continue serving as an outside adviser to Trump.
Haberman, the author of “Regime Change,” noted that Trump’s second administration has experienced significantly less staff turnover than his first.
“It’s funny, there’s been so little turnover this term compared to the last term,” Haberman said. “It gets easy to forget how sort of quick that revolving door was last time.”
She said the timing of Leavitt’s departure was not unusual because staffers often leave during a midterm election cycle as they begin seeing fewer opportunities inside an administration.
However, Haberman claimed the current White House is not a happy workplace and said Trump’s relationship with staff members has deteriorated.
“He is not in a great place with his staff, according to everyone we talked to,” Haberman said. “He is lashing out a lot, which tends to happen when things are not going well.”
Haberman said most staffers have decided they eventually want to pursue other opportunities, though she acknowledged that does not apply to everyone and that new employees will join the administration.
The Times reporter also questioned how consequential the departure of a press secretary would be when Trump frequently describes himself as his own spokesman.
Haberman said Leavitt had earned Trump’s trust in a way that many people who held the press secretary position during his first term had not. Still, she suggested press briefings become little more than a performance if they do not provide the public with useful information.
Leavitt discussed her departure during her final official interview as press secretary, which aired on Fox News.
She recalled that critics told Trump she was too young for the job after working for him during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump ignored those doubts and appointed Leavitt, who became the youngest White House press secretary in history at age 27 in January 2025.
“So many people told him when he was considering me for his job … that I was too young,” Leavitt said. “He ignored the doubters and gave me a chance, and I’m forever grateful to him for that.”
