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Is this the new Karoline Leavitt? Trump poaches glamorous reporter, 24, after 'taking a liking' to her

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Cite

Lepore, S. M. (2026, October 3). Is this the new Karoline Leavitt? Trump poaches glamorous reporter, 24, after 'taking a liking' to her. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16179855/New-Karoline-Leavitt-Donald-Trump-Beni-Rae-Harmony.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-03 · by Stephen M. Lepore

Quick Summary

Donald Trump is expanding his communications team by hiring Beni Rae Harmony, a 24-year-old reporter from Real America's Voice, as an Assistant Press Secretary and White House spokesperson. Harmony previously worked for WICS-ABC20 but was suspended after making an emotional tribute to Charlie Kirk on air. The article suggests that Trump personally took interest in Harmony, leading to her recent hire following the departure of Karoline Leavitt.
Written by AI on 2026-10-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Donald Trump has hired Beni Rae Harmony, a 24-year-old reporter, as his new Assistant Press Secretary. Harmony previously worked for Real America's Voice and was suspended from WICS-ABC20 after airing an emotional tribute to conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. She posed with a rifle while wearing a "f* Joe Biden" T-shirt in a photo that surfaced online. Harmony will replace Karoline Leavitt**, who recently left the White House communications team. The move is seen as Trump beefing up his communications staff amid ongoing political tensions.

Written for “Trump Appointing Young Reporters” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Appointing Young Reporters
Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 18% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Independent
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 19 claims Outlet record 59/100
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events: one about Trump hiring a new reporter, and another about Karoline Leavitt joining Fox News.”
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 67/100
“The articles discuss different events involving separate hires - one is about Beni Rae Harmony joining Trump's communications staff, while the other is about Karoline Leavitt joining Fox News.”
The Bulwark
Hedges 0 of 13 claims
“While both articles mention Beni Rae Harmony joining Trump's communications team, they describe different aspects of the event (one focusing on her hire as Assistant Press Secretary and the other on her transition from press to administration).”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles mention Beni Rae Harmony's new role at the White House under Trump, they describe different aspects of her hiring and past actions.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
33
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
18%
6 of 33 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-03 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 9439 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Stephen M. Lepore
87 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 She told CNN she was baffled by Stevens' behavior and thought it could work in El-Sayed's favor.
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🔮 Take the quiz to find out A voter said he may have fallen for the 'Decoy Dan' Sullivan scandal in Alaska's razor-thin Senate race.
🔮 Not that there's anything wrong with it, just that I might be gay.
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🔮 Vice President JD Vance's home was transformed into Hogwarts for Halloween as the second most powerful man in the country turned himself into Dumbledore Donald Trump speaks to members of the press as he arrives for a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach Even those who disagree with Vance's politics found his costume endearing since he appears willing to poke fun at himself.
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Also by Stephen M. Lepore
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 87 articles by Stephen M. Lepore →

Topics

Hill Real America's Voice Washington White House the White House

Subjects

White House ORG · 9× Harmony PERSON · 6× Trump PERSON · 6× Leavitt PERSON · 5× Real America's Voice ORG · 5× the White House ORG · 5× Beni Rae Harmony PERSON · 4× Beniraeharmony ORG · 3× Donald Trump PERSON · 2× Nico PERSON · 2×

Narrative

- Sign up HERE for the DC Insider Newsletter - our guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on the Hill Donald Trump is beefing up his communications staff in the wake of Karoline Leavitt's departure with a glamorous hire from the conservative media sphere.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-03
🔮 'She will be an outstanding addition to President Trump's communications team as an Assistant Press Secretary -- we look forward to having her on board!'

Claims (33 extracted, 6 hedged)

- Sign up HERE for the DC Insider Newsletter - our guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on the Hill Donald Trump is beefing up his communications staff in the wake of Karoline Leavitt's departure with a glamorous hire from the conservative media sphere. asserted
Trump → sign → sphere
Beni Rae Harmony, 24, has confirmed her new position as Assistant Press Secretary and White House spokesperson after reports she had been poached from Real America's Voice. asserted
she → confirm → Voice
Harmony had previously served as Senior White House Correspondent for the fledgling network. asserted
Harmony → serve → network
She joined the channel in September 2025, after announcing her resignation from WICS-ABC20, where she was suspended for making a tear-stained on-air tribute to Charlie Kirk. asserted
she → join → Kirk
According to her LinkedIn, Harmony was a producer and administrator for Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, from August 2021 until February 2022. uncertain
Harmony → accord → February
Trump has allegedly taken a liking to Harmony and was seen reading a file on the reporter aboard Air Force One September 13, TMZ reported. uncertain
TMZ → take → One
'Beni Rae Harmony has been a trusted voice for the MAGA movement as a White House correspondent,' White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told the website. asserted
Kelly → trust → website
'She will be an outstanding addition to President Trump's communications team as an Assistant Press Secretary -- we look forward to having her on board!' asserted
we → look → board
Political correspondent Beni Harmony is the latest hire at the White House press office after she was reportedly poached from conservative network Real America's Voice. uncertain
she → poach → Voice
Trump has yet to replace outgoing press secretary Karoline Leavitt after she announced on August 12 that she would depart the White House Harmony confirmed her new position, reposting from the Instagram account of Real America's Voice Vice President Parker Sigg and celebrating herself on her X feed. asserted
Harmony → have → feed
Sigg wrote: 'A huge congratulations to Beni Rae Harmony on her new role as Assistant Press Secretary and White House Spokesperson! ' asserted
Sigg → write → Secretary
As Senior White House Correspondent for Real America's Voice, Beni brought something extraordinary to our team every single day: relentless work ethic, sharp reporting, incredible energy, and a unique ability to connect with our audience from the front lines of the White House,.' asserted
Beni → bring → House
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and representatives for Harmony for comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
Trump has yet to replace Leavitt as White House Press Secretary after she announced on August 12 that she would depart the White House to spend more time with her two young children, Nico, two, and four-month-old Viviana. asserted
she → have → children
Leavitt has since rejoined Trump's Super PAC MAGA Inc, where she was spokeswoman before moving to his campaign in 2024. asserted
she → rejoin → 2024
Her son with husband Nicholas Riccio was born during the 2024 campaign days before the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. asserted
son → bear → Butler
Beni Rae Harmony, 24, has confirmed her new position as Assistant Press Secretary and White House spokesperson after reports she'd been poached from Real America's Voice. asserted
she → confirm → Voice
Leavitt left her role to spend more time with her children Nico, two, and four-month-old Viviana Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in American history, asserted
Leavitt → leave → history
told Fox that balancing the 24/7 demands of the briefing room with raising two small children ultimately drove her decision to step aside. asserted
balancing → tell → decision
She elaborated that her children are 'just at a critical time in their life where they need their mom home a little bit more.' asserted
they → elaborate → mom
Leavitt offered glowing praise for President Donald Trump, calling him an 'understanding boss and a friend' who backed her when critics questioned her age. ' asserted
critics → offer → age
So many people told him when he was considering me for this job that I was too young,' she recalled. asserted
she → tell → job
'He ignored all the doubters and he gave me a chance. asserted
he → ignore → chance
He is not only the best president our nation has ever had, but he is the best boss.' asserted
he → have → ?
When pressed on Morning in America about a potential replacement for the podium, Leavitt kept her cards close to her chest regarding specific candidates. asserted
Leavitt → press → candidates
Obviously, whoever takes this job, you spend a lot of time with the president,' she noted. asserted
she → take → president
I won't say any names or break any news on that front. asserted
I → say → front
' Harmony said she resigned from her job at ABC20 Springfield after she was suspended for paying tribute to Charlie Kirk live on-air following his assassination last week Trump has allegedly taken a liking to her and was seen reading a file on Harmony on Air Force One September 13 Leavitt's shock departure, less than three months before crucial midterm elections in November, sparked a scramble inside the White House. uncertain
departure → say → House
Insiders told the Daily Mail she had suffered 'burnout' after being rushed back to work by the President. asserted
she → tell → President
'It was a constant stream of messages from him [during maternity leave] and it was overwhelming,' one insider explained. ' asserted
insider → explain → leave
It was a very stressful job to do with her children. asserted
It → do → children
She never got any sleep, and she didn't want her performance to slip either, so she decided to stay as long as she could and do the job well. uncertain
she → get → job
'The President did everything he could to keep her.' uncertain
he → do → her
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