The New York Times reported that the 29-year-old will join Fox News as an on-air contributor starting in November. Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is set to join Fox News, marking her next major career move after leaving the Trump administration.
Leavitt announced her departure from the White House in August, shortly after returning from maternity leave following the birth of her second child. When Leavitt announced that she was leaving, President Donald Trump said she was stepping down so she could spend more time with her young children and family. She made history during her time in the administration by becoming the first White House press secretary to give birth while serving in the role.
Leavitt has two children, a son and a daughter, with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, who is 60.
Trump said he understood and respected her decision in an August post on Truth Social. Leavitt described her time as White House press secretary as “the honor and adventure of a lifetime”, as noted by The Independent.
Leavitt explained that her decision to leave was closely linked to her family. Her upcoming Fox News role will allow Leavitt to stay in the political and media spotlight without the demanding schedule of serving as White House press secretary.
In a lengthy statement on X, Leavitt also said she would continue working as a top adviser to Trump from outside the White House after leaving her official government role. She said she planned to remain a strong supporter of the MAGA movement and the Republican Party, showing that her departure from the White House did not mean she was stepping away from Trump’s political agenda. In the same statement, Leavitt argued that the US was facing what she called an “existential threat” from what she described as an increasingly extremist Democratic Party. She said that after returning to the White House following the birth of her daughter, she realised she could not be the best mother her two young children needed while also giving the press secretary job the constant time, energy and attention it required. She described the decision to leave the White House as “bittersweet” and said she was ready to begin a new chapter in her life.
