Late-night host jokes White House press secretary departing chaos of Washington to seek a quieter life in the company of a screaming baby
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Jimmy Fallon has offered President Donald Trump some advice on how to replace his departing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, suggesting he ask himself: âWho am I OK being stuck inside a catering truck with?â
The host of NBCâs The Tonight Show devoted much of Thursdayâs opening monologue to Leavittâs exit from the Trump administration, announced weeks after she returned from maternity leave for the birth of her second child.
His gag referred to this weekâs dramatic revelation that Trump secretly switched planes at a Turkish airport in July to evade an assassination threat issued by Iran, concealing himself inside a hydraulic catering truck to be loaded onto an C-32A jet while the likes of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Leavitt and the press corps were left aboard Air Force One, effectively serving as a decoy when it took off for England.
Fallon began by joking about the circumstances of Leavittâs resignation: âYeah, between the non-stop White House construction and Trump, she wanted to be around something way quieter: a baby.â
He continued: âApparently, Trump was caught off guard by Leavittâs decision. And this is strange, Trump is now blaming her resignation on pool vandals.â
The outgoing press secretary has a reputation for dogged loyalty to her boss, prepared, for instance, to echo his insistence that vandals were responsible for the damage done to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June â only for the administration itself to admit in court filings that a âbotched installationâ by the contractors was the real cause.
âTrump was surprised by Leavittâs decision,â Fallen went on. âShe was like, âI wanted to wait for a good time, but there hasnât been one, so…ââ
Turning his attention to her potential successor, the comic joked: âTrumpâs now looking for a replacement who can spin facts and numbers, so another good option is his doctor.â
âIâm 155 poundsâŚâ he said, impersonating the president.
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Fallon then cited a report suggesting CNNâs resident conservative and Mitch McConnell-whisperer Scott Jennings was the front-runner and observed: âWeâre just lucky Trump turned on his TV to a news channel. We were this close to seeing Press Secretary Bluey!â
âOf course when hiring someone, itâs also about personality, you know?â he continued. âYouâve got to think, like, âWho am I OK being stuck inside a catering truck with?â You know what Iâm saying? You gotta think ahead.â
Not finished there, Fallon cut to a sketch where âLeavittâ (Rose Kelso) rebuked the comedian for questioning her about her decision to leave and accused him of political bias while opening multiple cans of beer and chugging from a keg, no longer restrained by the niceties of public office.


