Donald Trump’s new press secretary on Tuesday invited TikTokers and podcasters to apply for White House press passes, in an effort to reach beyond the mainstream media that the US president often slams. In her first time at the White House podium, Karoline Leavitt said an additional seat for “new media voices” had been reserved at the front of the cramped briefing room.
Trump has repeatedly criticized traditional media as the “enemy of the people,” and he credits a series of podcast appearances for aiding his return to the White House.
“As the youngest press secretary in history, thanks to President Trump, I take great pride in opening up this room to new media voices,” the 27-year-old Leavitt told a packed briefing room.
“Whether you are a TikTok content creator, a blogger, a podcaster, if you are producing legitimate news content… you will be allowed to apply for press credentials to this White House,” she said.
The shake-up was more modest that some news organizations had feared, after the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. talked in November about “opening up” the press room.
The 49 seats in the room are allocated to a number of news organizations, including AFP, that are members of the White House Correspondents Association.
Reporters without seats are allowed to stand at the side if there is space — as they did for Leavitt’s packed-out debut on Tuesday.
The new press secretary also vowed to hold reporters accountable for what she said were “lies” about Trump.
“We know for a fact there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in this country about this president, about his family, and we will not accept that,” she said.
The briefing at the iconic White House podium was Leavitt’s first since Trump was inaugurated eight days ago. She has so far largely spoken to conservative television outlets including Fox News.
Trump sidestepped interviews with some major US TV networks during the election campaign, opting instead to speak to several largely right-wing podcasts including the hugely popular Joe Rogan Experience.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman
The White House is facing mounting questions over a sweeping new buyout initiative targeting millions of federal employees. This week, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the plan, emphasizing that its purpose is to cut costs and bring workers back into federal offices — not to purge political opponents, as critics have claimed.
Under the initiative, nearly 2 million civilian federal workers have been offered a “deferred resignation program.”
Those who accept can resign now yet continue to receive
The offer does not apply to:
Active-duty military
Postal Service employees
National security agencies
Its focus is squarely on the civilian workforce.
The buyout is a key part of President Trump’s broader effort to reduce government spending and reshape the federal workforce.
Leavitt noted that many government buildings remain underutilized due to long-term remote work. The administration argues that:
Payroll costs remain high despite low physical attendance
Agencies need to streamline operations
Employees should return to the office to increase accountability and collaboration
The buyout is framed as a way to either encourage workers back into offices or allow them to leave voluntarily with compensation
.
Union leaders warn that the program could have serious consequences.
Everett Kelley, president of the largest federal employee union, says the initiative risks:
Undermining essential public services
Creating staffing shortages in critical departments
Pressuring workers into leaving prematurely
Some political critics have taken the warning further, claiming the buyout is a veiled attempt to
Leavitt rejected these allegations outright, calling them “false” and insisting the program has no political screening or targeting.
Supporters of the initiative argue that the federal workforce has been slow to adapt to changing operational needs. They say:
Remote work has reduced productivity and accountability in some agencies
Government payroll and overhead are unsustainably high
A buyout is a practical and humane way to reduce staffing without forced layoffs
To them, this is a necessary push to modernize a system burdened by inefficiency.
The program reflects a broader shift toward a leaner, more office-centered federal workforce. But its impact will depend on:
How many workers take the buyout
Whether agencies can maintain service quality
How quickly workers are required to return
How states and local offices adapt to reduced federal support
Many experts warn of a possible surge in retirements or resignations that could reshape the federal bureaucracy for years.
With the February deadline fast approaching, millions of federal employees must choose whether to return to the office or accept the buyout.
Regardless of the outcome, the initiative promises to influence future debates about government efficiency, workforce modernization, and the balance between cost-cutting and public service.
This is more than a personnel decision — it’s a glimpse into the evolving identity of the federal government itself.
NYC Councilwoman Invites Netanyahu To City After Mamdani’s Arrest Threat
A New York City councilwoman has extended an offer to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the Big Apple in January on the day Zohran Mamdani is to be sworn in after the left-wing mayor-elect’s campaign threat to arrest the Israeli leader.
“Despite the vile rhetoric of unshamed Marxist radicals like Mayor-elect Mamdani, your visit would serve as a powerful reminder that this city stands with Israel, the Jewish people, and with the principles that unite our two great nations,” Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who represents the 48th district in Brooklyn, wrote.
She also noted that New York City is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Vernikov added in her X post, which contained a screenshot of the letter she sent to Netanyahu: “One of
@ZohranKMamdani’s campaign promises was to arrest @netanyahu, the duly elected Prime Minister of
@Israel, upon his arrival in NYC. On January 1, Mamdani will take office. And also on January 1st, I look forward to welcoming Bibi to New York City. NY will always stand with Israel, and no radical marxists with a title can change that.”
After Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election—making him the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor-elect—Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., signaled plans to try to block him from taking office.
President Donald Trump has accused the 34-year-old Ugandan-born politician of being a communist, after previously warning that he would withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani won.
Mamdani secured his win last week with a decisive margin, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 10 percentage points, though Mamdani barely won a majority of votes overall.
But some Republican lawmakers have vowed to block him from taking office. Some Republican lawmakers have demanded investigations into Mamdani’s naturalisation process, calling for him to be stripped of his US citizenship and deported. They have accused him of involvement in communist and “terrorist” activities and figures linked to terrorism.
“If Mamdani lied on his naturalisation documents, he doesn’t get to be a citizen, and he certainly doesn’t get to run for mayor of New York City. A great American city is on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said in an October 29 news release, after asking US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the mayor-elect, the Economic Times reported.
“The American naturalization system REQUIRES any alignments with communism or terrorist activities to be disclosed. I’m doubtful he disclosed them. If the information is confirmed, put him on the first flight back to Uganda,” Ogles added.
Meanwhile, a campaign finance watchdog has filed two criminal referrals against Mamdani, accusing the leftist socialist of taking illicit donations from overseas contributors.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation sent the recommendations to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office last week. They say that Mamdani may have broken the Federal Election Campaign Act and the New York Election Code.
The recommendations were made after the New York Post reported earlier this month that Mamdani’s campaign got about $13,000 in donations from at least 170 people who live outside the US, including one from his mother-in-law in Dubai.
“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” Dan Backer, a national campaign finance expert and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, said in a statement.
“This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules,” Backer added. “Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation has previously filed complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and the Democratic National Committee.
Republicans Examining Ways to Block Mamdani From Taking Office
After Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election—making him the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor-elect—Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., signaled plans to try to block him from taking office.
President Donald Trump has accused the 34-year-old Ugandan-born politician of being a communist, after previously warning that he would withhold federal funding from New York City if Mamdani won. Mamdani secured his win last week with a decisive margin, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo by nearly 10 percentage points, though Mamdani barely won a majority of votes overall.
But some Republican lawmakers have vowed to block him from taking office. Some Republican lawmakers have demanded investigations into Mamdani’s naturalisation process, calling for him to be stripped of his US citizenship and deported. They have accused him of involvement in communist and “terrorist” activities and figures linked to terrorism.
“If Mamdani lied on his naturalisation documents, he doesn’t get to be a citizen, and he certainly doesn’t get to run for mayor of New York City. A great American city is on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) said in an October 29 news release, after asking US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the mayor-elect, the Economic Times reported.
“The American naturalization system REQUIRES any alignments with communism or terrorist activities to be disclosed. I’m doubtful he disclosed them. If the information is confirmed, put him on the first flight back to Uganda,” Ogles added.
Meanwhile, a campaign finance watchdog has filed two criminal referrals against Mamdani, accusing the leftist socialist of taking illicit donations from overseas contributors.
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation sent the recommendations to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office last week. They say that Mamdani may have broken the Federal Election Campaign Act and the New York Election Code.
The recommendations were made after the New York Post reported earlier this month that Mamdani’s campaign got about $13,000 in donations from at least 170 people who live outside the US, including one from his mother-in-law in Dubai.
“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” Dan Backer, a national campaign finance expert and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, said in a statement.
“This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules,” Backer added. “Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”
The Coolidge Reagan Foundation has previously filed complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and the Democratic National Committee.
The watchdog told Bragg and the DOJ to look into and arrest Mamdani for the campaign cash that may have come from Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, Germany, and other countries.
The group said that Mamdani’s campaign had shown a “systematic failure to comply” with the rules about campaign money.
The Federal Election Campaign Act says that it is against the law to “accept or receive” donations from people who are not US citizens in any federal, state, or local election.
People who knowingly accept donations from other countries could face big fines and jail time.
“The law is crystal clear that foreign nationals may not participate in American elections, and that includes making contributions,” Backer continued. “Yet Mamdani’s campaign repeatedly accepted donations from individuals abroad, some even tied to regions and individuals openly sympathetic to hostile actors.”
“Whether through negligence or intent, this conduct undermines the integrity of the democratic process.”
Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York City sent back about $9,000 in donations from people outside the U.S., the Post reported.