Karoline Leavitt’s White House departure will not take her far from President Donald Trump’s political operation.
The outgoing press secretary has confirmed that she will return to work for MAGA Inc., the Trump-aligned super PAC where she previously served as a spokesperson.
Leavitt announced on August 12 that she would step down from her White House role at the end of the month to devote more time to her family. She has not disclosed her forthcoming title or further details about the position, and MAGA Inc. did not immediately respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY and NBC News.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on August 21, Leavitt acknowledged that she would miss the position but said, “I love my kids even more.”
She added that her family plans to remain in Washington, D.C., for the time being and told reporters: “You guys will still see me all the time”
A return to a familiar political organization
Before joining Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Leavitt worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc. Her return to the super PAC follows 18 months as White House press secretary.
Leavitt previously served as an assistant White House press secretary during Trump’s first administration, then became communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. She later ran for Congress in New Hampshire, losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in 2022.
Her next role keeps her within Trump’s political orbit while allowing her to leave the daily demands of the White House press office.
President Trump said in an August 12 Truth Social post that Leavitt would become one of his leading outside advisers and remain an influential Republican voice as the party works toward the midterm elections.
Leaving to focus on family
Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history when she assumed the role at age 27. Her public-facing, energetic approach made her one of the administration’s most recognizable officials.
She and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, have two children: a son and a daughter born in May.
In her own August 12 statement, Leavitt said she had concluded that the time, energy and attention demanded by the job made it impossible to be the mother she wanted to be for her young children.
Her final official trip as press secretary was the August 21 flight to South Carolina, where Trump attended a rally supporting Sen. Darline Graham. Leavitt told reporters she expected to return to Air Force One for the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention scheduled for September 9 and 10.
As her tenure concludes, Leavitt is set to become Trump’s second-longest-serving press secretary, behind Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who held the post for nearly two years during his first term.
