Karoline Leavitt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karoline Leavitt
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Leavitt at her first White House press conference on January 28, 2025
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| 36th White House Press Secretary | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Karine Jean-Pierre |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Karoline Claire Leavitt
August 24, 1997 Atkinson, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nicholas Riccio |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Saint Anselm College (BA) |
Karoline Claire Leavitt (born August 24, 1997) is an American political aide and government official who has been serving as the 36th White House press secretary since January 2025 under President Donald Trump. She is the youngest White House press secretary in history.
Leavitt previously served as the national press secretary for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. She was an assistant press secretary and presidential writer during the first Donald Trump administration as well as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump Super PAC. In 2022, she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Hampshire's 1st district, winning the Republican nomination before losing in the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
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Early life and education
Karoline Claire Leavitt was born in Atkinson, New Hampshire, where she was raised in the Catholic faith. Her family owned an ice cream shop and a used truck dealership in Plaistow, New Hampshire. She attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She then attended Saint Anselm College on a scholarship for NCAA Division II college softball. Leavitt was outspoken on campus about her support for the Trump administration. Her op-eds in the school newspaper include a defense of Trump's travel ban and a critique of the news media. She founded the school's first broadcasting club. While in college, Leavitt worked at Hearst Television WMUR-TV. She graduated in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science.
Career
During her education at Saint Anselm College, Leavitt interned at Fox News. The summer before her senior year of college, she interned in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. She returned briefly after her 2019 graduation, before joining the White House Press Office as an assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany. Following the conclusion of the first Trump administration, she was hired as the communications director for Republican U.S. representative Elise Stefanik from New York.
2022 congressional campaign
In 2022, Leavitt announced she was running for the US House of Representatives in New Hampshire's 1st district. She campaigned with a focus on conservative values, reduced taxes, strong law enforcement, and gun rights. The Republican primary attracted wide attention because both candidates were former Trump administration staffers. Leavitt differentiated herself with a brazen style that resembled Trump's, and gained right-wing supporters including Lauren Boebert, Ted Cruz, and her mentor Elise Stefanik. She criticized Matt Mowers with references to "the swamp" and "establishment Republicans" for his funding from outside PACs. The New York Times described the candidates as ideologically similar and suggested the primary election was a matter of tone rather than policy.
In September 2022, Leavitt won the Republican primary in an upset victory, beating Mowers, who had been leading in the polls, by 10 percentage points. Donald Trump congratulated her for succeeding "against all odds". After she lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas by eight percentage points, she worked for a roster of clients. She declined to run again in 2024.
In 2022, Leavitt faced a Federal Election Commission complaint from End Citizens United alleging Leavitt's campaign and treasurer illegally accepted campaign donations over the legal limit and never repaid her donors. In January 2025, Leavitt disclosed in 17 amended campaign filings $326,370 in unpaid campaign debts she had failed to disclose for several years. Roughly $200,000 of the debt was composed of illicit campaign donations made in excess of campaign finance limits she never paid back, in violation of campaign finance laws.
Trump press secretary
In January 2024, Leavitt accepted the role of national press secretary for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. In one press appearance on CNN This Morning, she was removed from air for arguing about CNN's debate moderators. Leavitt was an instructor for Project 2025's "Conservative Governance 101" training program.
White House press secretary
On November 15, 2024, Donald Trump chose Leavitt as his White House press secretary to succeed Karine Jean-Pierre. She assumed office on January 20, 2025. She is the youngest White House press secretary ever appointed.
Personal life
Leavitt is married to Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer more than 30 years her senior. She gave birth to their son on July 10, 2024. She had planned to go on maternity leave, but changed her mind after seeing the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, and resumed her professional duties. She advocates for private education and credits her Catholic schooling for instilling discipline, and the importance of public service.
See also
In Spanish: Karoline Leavitt para niños
