Karoline Leavitt already knows where she is heading after she steps away from the White House briefing room at the end of August.
The outgoing White House press secretary told reporters during her final Air Force One trip in the role that she plans to return to MAGA Inc., the Trump-aligned super PAC where she previously worked. According to PEOPLE, Leavitt said she expects to rejoin the organization in September after taking some time off with her family.
The move will keep Leavitt closely involved in President Donald Trump’s political operation even after she leaves government. When Trump announced her departure on Aug. 12, he said she would become one of his top outside advisers and an influential Republican voice heading into the November midterm elections.
Leavitt did make clear that leaving the White House will not mean disappearing from public view, telling reporters, “You guys will still see me all the time.”
Leavitt Is Returning to a Group She Already Knows
MAGA Inc. is familiar territory for Leavitt. After her unsuccessful 2022 congressional campaign in New Hampshire, she worked as a spokesperson for the super PAC before joining Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign as national press secretary.
That role made her one of the campaign’s most visible television surrogates and put her on the road with Trump for rallies, campaign appearances and his criminal trial in Manhattan. After Trump won the election, he selected Leavitt to become White House press secretary.
TMZ also reported that Leavitt will return to MAGA Inc. after leaving the administration. Her exact responsibilities have not been announced.
Her Final Air Force One Trip Came With a Preview of What Is Next
Leavitt discussed her next move while traveling with Trump to South Carolina on Aug. 21, describing the trip as her final flight aboard Air Force One as White House press secretary.
She said she planned to take a short break with her family before beginning the next chapter. Reporting on her remarks said she expected to spend some of that time in her home state of New Hampshire before returning to Washington.
Her first major political appearance after leaving the administration is already taking shape. Leavitt said she plans to join Trump at the Republican Party’s first national midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10, where the GOP will gather ahead of the November congressional elections.
The event is scheduled for the American Airlines Center and is designed to give Republican candidates and party figures a national platform during the final stretch of the midterm campaign.
Leavitt Called Leaving the White House a ‘Bittersweet Decision’
Leavitt announced Aug. 12 that she would leave the administration to devote more time to her family. She and husband Nicholas Riccio welcomed their second child, daughter Viviana, on May 1, and Leavitt returned to the White House briefing room in mid-July after maternity leave.
In her departure statement, Leavitt said that after returning to work she concluded she could not simultaneously give her two young children and the press secretary position the attention each required. The Associated Press reported that she described leaving as a “bittersweet decision.”
Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history when she took the job at 27. Her political résumé also includes work in the White House press office during Trump’s first administration, serving as communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik and winning the Republican nomination for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022 before losing the general election to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.
The White House Has Not Named Her Permanent Replacement
The Associated Press reported when Leavitt’s departure was announced that the president had not outlined who would replace her. Speaking to reporters on Aug. 21, Trump said he had received an unusually large number of expressions of interest in the job.
He mentioned CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings positively when asked about him and also brought up White House aide Margo Martin, but he did not announce a selection.