New Delhi, Nov. 20 -- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration's stricter controls on reporter access, saying she maintains a firm handle on the briefing room dynamics.

In an interview on Pod Force One released Wednesday, host Miranda Devine praised Leavitt for ruling the briefing room with "an iron fist."

"I try, thank you," the 28-year-old replied. "I prepare a lot for the briefings. I walk in there with a good grip on what they're going to ask, because I read and I watch and I prepare all day, all morning."

Leavitt-now the youngest White House press secretary in US history-acknowledged that tensions flare in and outside the briefing room.

"The press briefing room can be combative, and sometimes it is...