Karoline Claire Leavitt is an American political spokesperson who has served since 2025 as the 36th White House press secretary under the second Trump administration. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously an unsuccessful candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in the 2022 election.
Leavitt studied politics and communication at Saint Anselm College, writing for the school newspaper and founding a broadcasting club. She interned in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence and later became its associate director. In June 2020, Leavitt became an assistant White House press secretary. After Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election, she became a communications director for New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
In July 2021, Leavitt announced her campaign for the United States House of Representatives election for New Hampshire's first congressional district. She established herself as a pro-Trump candidate. Leavitt won the Republican primary, though she lost to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas. She served as a spokeswoman for MAGA Inc., Trump's super PAC, and became the press secretary for his 2024 presidential campaign.
In November 2024, then-President-elect Donald Trump named Leavitt as his White House press secretary. She is the youngest person to hold the position in U.S. history.
