Karoline Leavitt may be leaving the White House briefing room, but she certainly isn’t leaving President Trump’s political operation.
The outgoing White House press secretary revealed Friday that she plans to return to MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC where she previously worked, after formally stepping down from her administration role at the end of August.
Leavitt shared the news while speaking with reporters outside Air Force One ahead of President Trump’s rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, her final official outing as press secretary.
“You guys will still see me all the time,” Leavitt told reporters.
So anyone expecting her departure to mean a quiet retreat from politics probably shouldn’t hold their breath.
Leavitt said she plans to attend a Republican convention in Dallas in September and participate in campaign activities ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. She did not reveal her precise title at MAGA Inc., but President Trump has already described her as one of his future “top outside advisors.”
The move brings Leavitt back to familiar territory.
Before becoming White House press secretary at the beginning of President Trump’s second term, Leavitt served as national press secretary for his successful 2024 presidential campaign. She also previously worked for MAGA Inc., which supports President Trump and Republican candidates aligned with his political agenda.
At 28, Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in American history.
Her political résumé was already unusually extensive before she took the podium. During President Trump’s first administration, Leavitt worked as an assistant White House press secretary. She later became communications director for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York.
Leavitt then stepped directly into electoral politics, becoming the Republican nominee for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022.
Her next assignment comes as Republicans prepare for a critical midterm campaign. MAGA Inc. enters the election season with substantial financial resources, and Leavitt’s experience communicating President Trump’s message gives the organization someone already intimately familiar with both the administration and the national media environment.
President Trump announced Leavitt’s departure on August 12, explaining that she wanted additional time with her young children and family.
“Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” President Trump wrote.
But his announcement also made it obvious that this was hardly a political farewell.
“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,” President Trump continued.
He also delivered substantial praise for her White House performance.
“Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!”
Leavitt’s move could give her considerably more freedom to engage directly in partisan campaigning. A White House press secretary speaks officially for the administration and operates within the responsibilities of government service. Working with an outside political organization puts Leavitt squarely back into campaign politics, where the objective is much simpler: help Republicans win elections.
And Republicans have plenty riding on November.
Midterm elections have historically created headaches for the party controlling the White House, making President Trump’s stated goal of “defy History” particularly important to his political operation. Losing congressional control could complicate his legislative agenda during the remainder of his second term.
Leavitt’s transition therefore looks less like an exit from Trump world and more like a change of battlefield.
She spent the opening stretch of President Trump’s second term dealing with reporters from behind the White House podium. Now she’ll be moving outside the administration and into an organization positioned to play a major role in defending Republican congressional majorities.
President Trump has not yet announced who will replace Leavitt as White House press secretary.
Whoever gets the job will inherit one of Washington’s most visible positions, along with the daily pleasure of taking questions from a press corps that rarely suffers from a shortage of opinions.
Leavitt, meanwhile, isn’t disappearing.
She’s simply trading the briefing room for the campaign trail.
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