The White House has not publicly named a permanent replacement for former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, but a surprise “guest” took over her duties late last week.
Vice President JD Vance stepped behind the briefing-room podium Thursday to deliver an update on several administration priorities.
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The appearance was part of an interim arrangement in which senior administration officials are expected to rotate through White House briefings while President Donald Trump considers who will succeed Leavitt. Administration officials said before her departure that Trump had not settled on a replacement.
Vance opened Thursday’s briefing by highlighting the administration’s crackdown on what he described as fraudulent commercial-driver-license operations.
“We have taken over 2,000 fraudulent CDL mills out of business,” Vance said, arguing that the effort had made highways safer while protecting American trucking jobs.
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Vance accused the previous administration of allowing unqualified immigrants to obtain credentials to operate commercial trucks and said the Trump administration’s anti-fraud campaign had helped remove improperly licensed drivers from the road.
He also said trucker wages had increased 7.5%, though he did not specify during the briefing the precise period or wage measure used to calculate that figure.
“We’ve made the roads safer, we’ve seen trucker wages go up by 7.5 percent,” Vance said.
He credited the White House anti-fraud task force with helping uncover improper licensing operations, saying some drivers had obtained diplomas or commercial licenses through fraudulent means.
Vance then addressed another issue closely tied to his political career: the February 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Before becoming vice president, Vance represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate and repeatedly criticized the federal response to the disaster.
On Aug. 28, Vance and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin formally asked the EPA’s Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent investigation into how the Biden administration handled the derailment and its aftermath.
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The Norfolk Southern train derailed Feb. 3, 2023, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border while carrying hazardous materials.
Several days later, officials conducted a controlled vent-and-burn operation involving vinyl chloride from tank cars because of concerns that the cars could explode.
The operation produced a large plume over the community and triggered continuing concerns among residents about possible long-term health and environmental effects.
The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that the vent-and-burn operation was unnecessary and exposed residents and first responders to additional hazards.
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During Thursday’s briefing, Vance said recently disclosed information had strengthened his belief that the federal response deserved further scrutiny.
“What we’ve learned over the last couple of months is something that I suspected but frankly could never prove,” Vance said, alleging that the Biden administration underestimated potential risks to residents.
He said investigators should determine whether officials withheld information, made mistakes or deliberately misled the public. Those remain allegations that the requested inspector-general investigation would be expected to examine.
The request followed the release of documents showing that government officials had access to modeling about possible hazardous exposure from the chemical plume.
Vance and Zeldin asked investigators to review the actions of federal, state and private entities involved in the response and determine whether decisions adequately protected residents.
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The derailment has already produced extensive litigation.
Norfolk Southern agreed in 2024 to a $600 million class-action settlement covering residents and businesses affected by the disaster. The company denied wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
Questions about health risks, environmental monitoring and the handling of information have nevertheless continued.
When a reporter asked Vance whether the administration might declare an emergency to provide additional assistance to East Palestine residents, he stopped short of making a commitment.
“I wouldn’t want to commit to something unless I would know that it would do some good,” Vance said, adding that he would consider the idea.
Vance’s appearance also highlighted the unusual situation in the White House briefing room following Leavitt’s departure.
Leavitt completed her final day as press secretary Aug. 27 after announcing that she wanted to spend more time with her two young children.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
