Trump statement naming Tucker Carlson as press secretary is fabricated | Fact check

The claim: Image shows Trump statement naming Tucker Carlson as White House press secretary

A Nov. 13 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes an image that purports to show a statement from President-elect Donald Trump naming an addition to his second administration.

“I am honored to announce that I have named Tucker Carlson to serve as White House Press Secretary,” the supposed Trump statement begins.

It goes on to tout Carlson’s media career and assert that he would “return truth and dignity to the Press Corps.”

The post was shared more than 100 times in five days. Other versions of the claim spread widely on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.

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The image is fabricated. Trump did not publish any such statement, nor was there reporting from legitimate news outlets that supported the claim. Trump announced on Nov. 15 that his national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, will serve as White House press secretary.

Carlson said he doesn't think he's 'suited' for Cabinet position

Carlson, a former Fox News host, supported Trump’s successful bid for a second presidential term. He said Trump “became the leader of this nation” through his response to an attempted assassination in July and described the president-elect as the “brave man” the country needed.

But while other high-profile figures who supported Trump’s campaign have since been named to various positions in his second administration, Carlson was not among them as of Nov. 17.

There were no announcements about hiring Carlson on Trump’s Truth Social account, nor had any legitimate news outlets reported on the supposed appointment.

Similarly, Carlson’s X account and website mention nothing about serving as White House press secretary.

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While the position is not part of the presidential Cabinet, Carlson made clear in apost-election interview he posted on X that he was not interested in one of those jobs, either.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to ask me to serve in any position like that,” Carlson said in response to an audience member's question. “I don’t think I’m suited for it.”

He went on to say that he doesn’t agree with people who “get out of their lane” and said he applied the same principle to himself.

“I don’t imagine just because I can do a popular show on the internet that I could, I don’t know, run the Treasury Department,” he said. “I just don’t think that. I’m going to do what I do and I’m going to keep doing it until I drop dead, period.”

Trump named Leavitt as his second-term White House press secretary on Nov. 15.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims regarding Trump’s decisions since the presidential election, including false assertions that he named Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert as his education secretary, that he hired “the guy who wrote” Project 2025 and that he nominated his former aide, Kash Patel, to be CIA director.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources

• Donald Trump, accessed Nov. 15, Truth Social

• Tucker Carlson, accessed Nov. 15, Website search

• Tucker Carlson, accessed Nov. 15, X account

• USA TODAY, Nov. 15, Trump names Karoline Leavitt youngest ever White House press secretary

• Tucker Carlson, Nov. 11, X post

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump statement appointing Tucker Carlson is fabricated | Fact check