Vice President JD Vance is set to step behind the White House podium on Thursday afternoon for the first press briefing since former press secretary Karoline Leavitt departed at the end of last month, according to a report from Breitbart News.
The briefing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, which is expected to be packed. It will mark the first formal press briefing since July 23, and the first time Vance has addressed the press from that room since the administration took office.
Leavitt’s replacement has not yet been announced, and speculation has been mounting since Tuesday about who might eventually take over the role. Reports that a briefing would occur sparked a flurry of media guessing about the long-term pick, but the search may be less urgent than in previous administrations, given President Donald Trump’s frequent direct engagement with reporters.
According to a Breitbart News exclusive from January, Trump participated in nearly 500 transcribed events in 2025, and interacted with reporters at 74 percent of them. That hands-on approach, White House officials say, reduces the need for a press secretary to serve as the primary messenger.
A Familiar Strategy
Thursday’s briefing will follow the same model the White House used during Leavitt’s maternity leave, when a rotation of top administration officials took the podium. In addition to Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz all conducted briefings during that period.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly signaled Wednesday that the administration is comfortable with this arrangement. Speaking to Fox News, she emphasized that Trump is his own best spokesman and praised the performances of cabinet officials who filled in while Leavitt was away.
“When Karoline was on maternity leave, we had a great cast of members of the president’s cabinet, the vice president, all coming through, and of course, the president is his own best spokesperson,” Kelly said. “So we will be having that briefing tomorrow. I won’t spoil any… surprises though.”
Kelly’s comments stopped short of confirming whether Vance would be joined by other officials or whether any announcement about a permanent press secretary might come during the briefing.
The Thursday briefing comes at a time when the White House communications shop is in transition, but officials appear to be signaling that the absence of a named press secretary is not hampering their ability to communicate with the public and the press.
Vance’s appearance is notable not only because it will be his first from the briefing room, but because it underscores the administration’s reliance on surrogates to carry its message during a period of staffing change. With no replacement for Leavitt yet tapped, the vice president stepping in suggests the White House is comfortable with a rotating cast of senior figures rather than rushing to fill the role.
The briefing is expected to draw heavy media attention, with questions likely to focus on recent administration actions, upcoming policy priorities, and the status of the press secretary search. Vance, who has been a prominent administration voice on a range of issues, may also face queries about his own portfolio and recent travel.
Observers noted that the gap between briefings—more than a month since the last one—has been unusual, though not unprecedented in this administration. The White House has often preferred to have Trump speak directly to reporters in impromptu exchanges rather than schedule formal press conferences.
Leavitt, who left at the end of August, had been a visible figure in the briefing room since taking the job. Her departure was announced earlier this summer, and she has not publicly commented on her future plans.
As of Wednesday evening, the White House had not confirmed whether any additional officials would join Vance at the podium or whether a new press secretary would be introduced during the briefing. Kelly’s tease of “surprises” left that possibility open.
The briefing is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, with live coverage expected across major networks.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/03/jd-vance-to-hold-first-white-house-briefing-since-leavitts-departure/