Karoline Leavitt

The Correspondence Office in Trump's First Term

Her first White House job was an internship in Donald Trump's first administration. She worked in the correspondence office, writing letters that went out in the president's name, and told the AP she was "stunned" to be accepted. She then asked Kayleigh McEnany, the last of Trump's four first-term press secretaries, for a job in the press office and was hired as an assistant press secretary.

"I was immediately impressed by her evident drive and her genuinely positive demeanor," McEnany told the AP in an email. "Karoline is sharp, professional, and enterprising, and I knew that I wanted to hire her on the spot."

Elise Stefanik's Office and the 2022 Race in New Hampshire's 1st District

After Trump lost the 2020 election, Leavitt became communications director for Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, then chair of the House Republican Conference. She left that job to run for Congress at home in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District.

The 2022 Republican primary had ten candidates. Leavitt won it, beating Matt Mowers, another alumnus of the Trump administration. She then lost the general election to the Democratic incumbent, Chris Pappas. Mowers later described her to the AP as a disciplined messenger: "She knows how to sharpen the points that she wants to get across and she communicates them consistently and is pretty good staying on message."

MAGA Inc. and the 2024 Campaign Trail

After the loss she worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC, and then joined Trump's 2024 campaign as its national press secretary. The job meant constant travel and frequent television appearances defending the candidate, and she kept doing it through the transition after the election.

Her first child, a son, was born in July 2024. Three days later Trump was wounded in the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. NBC News reported that she came back to work four days into her maternity leave. Trump named her as his press secretary after the election. "Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator," he said at the time.

The James Brady Briefing Room, January 28, 2025

Leavitt was 27 when she took the job, which made her the youngest White House press secretary on record. She is one of eight women to have held the post. Her first briefing came on January 28, 2025, eight days into Trump's second term. She took questions for about 47 minutes, mostly on a freeze of federal grants and loans and on the early deportation effort.

She opened the question period by calling on Axios and Breitbart News, and said outlets outside the traditional press would play a bigger role. "We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House," she said. She also promised reporters they would hear "from both him and me as much as possible."

A Second Child While in Office

On May 1, 2026, Leavitt gave birth to her second child, a daughter. No White House press secretary before her had given birth while serving. Her last briefing before the leave had been planned for April 24. She came back unexpectedly on April 27, two days after the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, saying it was "prudent" to brief reporters. "I hope and pray that this is the last time I speak to you for some time until after my maternity leave," she said at the end.

The White House named no interim press secretary. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took turns at the podium. Leavitt returned on July 16.

Leaving the Podium in August 2026

On August 12, 2026, Trump announced on Truth Social that Leavitt would leave at the end of the month to "spend more time with her beautiful young children and family." He wrote that she would be "one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party" during the midterm elections.

Leavitt gave her own reason in a post on X. "The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary," she wrote. She called the job "the honor and adventure of a lifetime."

She served a little over 18 months. Among Trump's press secretaries only Sarah Huckabee Sanders lasted longer, at nearly two years. Sean Spicer, Stephanie Grisham and McEnany each left before a full year. NBC News counted her as the fifth woman in a senior post to leave the administration in 2026, after Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Tulsi Gabbard.

Fox News From November 1, 2026

Leavitt moved back to New Hampshire with her family. In August she said she would return to MAGA Inc., without naming a role. On October 5, 2026, Fox News announced that she would join as an on-air contributor on November 1, appearing on news and opinion programs. She is the second of Trump's former press secretaries at the network, after McEnany.

Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott said her time in the White House and on the campaign trail gave her "a distinct understanding of today's political landscape." Leavitt said she would bring "the same energy and candor that defined my tenure" to the channel. She is married and has two children.

Sources

• Karoline Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary, makes her debut in the briefing room
• Karoline Leavitt to step down as White House press secretary at end of month
• Trump announces White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt leaving role - ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gives birth to second child
• Karoline Leavitt to join Fox News as an on-air contributor in November
• Karoline Leavitt Is Leaving the White House a Millionaire at 28: Her Net Worth, Salary, and Career | IBTimes UK