ABC’s ‘The View’ invites Karoline Leavitt to appear as a guest

Outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been invited to visit ABC’s “The View” as a guest. The no-brainer booking move was immediately sensationalized by the Daily Mail this way: “Karoline Leavitt in secret talks to join TV’s most controversial show.” Technically that’s true — a guest invite has been extended to Leavitt, an ABC source confirmed to CNN. But the implication of the Mail’s headline is false. She would not be a guest host on the talk show or join in a more official capacity. All six co-hosts of “The View” are returning for the new season that begins in September. And while the show occasionally features guest hosts, that’s not what the outreach to Leavitt was about, the ABC source said. Speculation about Leavitt’s possible future as a television personality naturally followed her surprise announcement about leaving the Trump White House earlier this month. Leavitt has sidestepped that chatter. On Thursday, in what was billed as her final interview as press secretary, she told “Fox & Friends” that she’s going to spend “more time with my kids,” a two-year-old and a four-month-old. Leavitt has also said that she will return to work at MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, where she was previously a spokesperson. She said on Fox that she intends to “serve the president on the outside” and “cheer him on over the next two years.” The Fox morning show paid tribute to Leavitt with a video montage of her berating and insulting reporters from the White House podium. “Good times. Great memories,” she said in response. Leavitt struck a more conciliatory tone with reporters during a farewell press gaggle on Thursday. “I’ll miss you guys,” she said. “I know that’s probably not something anyone would expect me to say, but obviously it’s been great working with all of you.” Trump has yet to name Leavitt’s successor, and analysts have said she’ll be hard to replace. “The View” frequently tries to book political newsmakers, so reaching out to Leavitt is to be expected, but it is still intriguing given the Trump administration’s rocky relationship with ABC. The Trump-aligned FCC has been pressuring ABC and its parent company Disney on a number of fronts, including by opening a probe of “The View” over alleged “equal-time” violations due to candidate interviews. Last week, Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the FCC’s maneuvers against its local station licenses and claiming that “The View” has been hindered by the government’s “escalating pressures.” The lawsuit stated that ABC has been “more circumspect in booking political candidates” on “The View” as a result. Leavitt is not a candidate for any office, however, so the cloud of the FCC probe does not apply.