Karoline Leavitt Explained

Karoline Leavitt
Office:White House Press Secretary
Designate
President:Donald Trump
Term Start:January 20, 2025
Succeeding:Karine Jean-Pierre
Birth Name:Karoline Claire Leavitt
Birth Date:24 August 1997
Birth Place:Atkinson, New Hampshire, U.S.
Party:Republican
Education:Saint Anselm College (BA)
Spouse:Nicholas Riccio
Children:1

Karoline Claire Leavitt (born August 24, 1997)[1] is an American political aide currently serving as the national press secretary for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.[2] She previously served as 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 incumbent Chris Pappas.[3]

On November 15, 2024, president-elect Donald Trump chose Leavitt as his White House press secretary to succeed Karine Jean-Pierre.[4] She will be the youngest press secretary in United States history.[5]

Early life and education

Karoline Claire Leavitt[6] was born in Atkinson, New Hampshire, where she was raised in the Catholic faith.[7] 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[8] on a scholarship for NCAA Division II college softball.[9] 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.[10] [11] She founded the school's first broadcasting club. While in college, Leavitt worked at Hearst Television WMUR-TV.[12] She graduated in 2019 with bachelor of arts degrees in communications and political science.[13] [14]

Career

During her education at Saint Anselm College, Leavitt interned at Fox News.[15] 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.[16] Following the conclusion of the Trump administration, she was hired as the communications director for U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik from New York.[17] [18]

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.[19] [20] The Republican primary attracted wide attention because both candidates were former Trump administration staffers.[21] Leavitt differentiated herself with her brazen style that resembled Trump's, and she gained right-wing supporters including Lauren Boebert, Ted Cruz, and her mentor Elise Stefanik.[22] 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 election was a matter of tone rather than policy.

In September 2022, Leavitt won the Republican primary in an upset victory, beating projected winner Mowers by about 10 points. Donald Trump congratulated her for succeeding "against all odds".[23] [24] After she lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas by 8.2 percentage points, she worked for a roster of clients. She declined to run again in 2024.[25]

Trump press secretary

In January 2024, Leavitt accepted the role of national press secretary for Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign.[26] In one press appearance on CNN This Morning, she was removed from air for arguing about CNN's debate moderators.[27] During a short leave of absence to give birth to her son in July 2024, she was inspired to return to work after seeing the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13.[26]

On November 15, 2024, Donald Trump chose Leavitt as his White House press secretary to succeed Karine Jean-Pierre.[4]

Personal life

Her husband is 30 years her senior, a self-made millionaire named Nicholas Riccio who went from living on the streets to managing his own real estate business.[28] Karoline gave birth to their son in July 2024 and resumed professional duties shortly after giving birth, inspired to return to work after seeing the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and relying on her husband and mother for childcare.[29] [30] [31] [26] She advocates for private education and credits her Catholic schooling for instilling pro-life values, discipline, and the importance of service.[32] [33]

Notes and References

  1. News: Birthday of the Day: Karoline Leavitt, White House assistant press secretary . 24 August 2020 . 26 June 2024. Politico . 26 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626013621/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/24/playbook-birthday-karoline-leavitt-400593 . live.
  2. News: Singman . Brooke . Karoline Leavitt to join Trump super PAC as spokeswoman . 3 April 2023 . 26 June 2024 . . 26 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626041534/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/karoline-leavitt-join-trump-super-pac-spokeswoman . live.
  3. Web site: Cohen . Li . 2022-09-14 . 25-year-old Karoline Leavitt becomes first Republican Gen Z congressional nominee after winning New Hampshire primary - CBS News . 2024-06-29 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  4. Web site: President-elect Donald J. Trump has chosen Karoline Leavitt, his campaign's press secretary, to be his White House press secretary, one of the most high-profile jobs in his next administration.. .
  5. Web site: Price . Michelle . November 15, 2024 . Trump names Karoline Leavitt as youngest ever White House press secretary . 2024-11-16 . ABC News . en.
  6. Web site: Karoline Claire Leavitt from Washington, District Of Columbia | VoterRecords.com.
  7. Web site: Burt . Bill . November 28, 2020. Meet the assistant press secretary . June 29, 2024 . . en.
  8. News: Iowa State University: Archives of Women's Political Communication . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu . 26 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626014818/https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/karoline-leavitt . live.
  9. News: Karoline Leavitt Biography. Saint Anselm College. November 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241117021344/https://saintanselmhawks.com/sports/softball/roster/karoline-leavitt/4412. November 17, 2024.
  10. Web site: Leavitt . Karoline . American media: distorting the truth for political objectives . 2024-11-16 . The Saint Anselm Crier.
  11. Web site: Leavitt . Karoline . President Trump's travel ban is for America's own benefit . 2024-11-16 . The Saint Anselm Crier.
  12. News: 26 June 2024 . Fox News: Karoline_Leavitt . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626021257/https://www.foxnews.com/person/l/karoline-leavitt . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . Fox News.
  13. News: Ballotpedia: Karoline_Leavitt . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . Ballotpedia . 26 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626015957/https://ballotpedia.org/Karoline_Leavitt . live.
  14. News: The Unexpected Way that a Trump Loss Could Be the End of US . 28 May 2023 . 26 June 2024 . . 26 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240626023059/https://www.huckabee.tv/guests/karoline-leavitt . live.
  15. Web site: 2024-11-16 . Karoline Leavitt to become youngest White House press secretary . 2024-11-16 . BBC News . en-gb.
  16. News: Sotomayor . Marianna . November 3, 2022. Karoline Leavitt wants to be Gen Z's conservative voice in Congress . June 29, 2024. . en-US . 0190-8286.
  17. News: Lahut . Jake . 13 September 2022 . Stefanik-Backed Candidate Wins MAGA World Face-Off in New Hampshire . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626024634/https://www.thedailybeast.com/elise-stefanik-backed-candidate-karoline-leavitt-wins-maga-world-face-off-in-new-hampshire . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . The Daily Beast.
  18. Web site: 2022-10-30 . Leavitt, 25, cites youth in bid to be youngest congresswoman . 2024-06-29 . . en.
  19. News: Enstrom . Kirk . 3 November 2022 . 1st District Rep. Chris Pappas, Karoline Leavitt clash in fiery debate . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626033519/https://www.wmur.com/article/leavitt-pappas-new-hampshire-1st-district-debate/41861236 . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . WMUR-TV.
  20. News: Enstrom . Kirk . 9 November 2022 . US Rep. Chris Pappas projected to defeat Republican challenger Karoline Leavitt to win a third term . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626034915/https://www.wmur.com/article/chris-pappas-karoline-leavitt-nh-election-2022/41905917 . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . WMUR-TV.
  21. News: Karni . Annie . 9 September 2022 . In New Hampshire, a MAGA Rivalry Is Splitting House Republicans . 16 November 2024 . The New York Times.
  22. News: Karni . Annie . 13 September 2022 . Leavitt Upsets Mowers, Winning New Hampshire House G.O.P. Primary . 16 November 2024 . The New York Times.
  23. News: November 8, 2022 . New Hampshire First Congressional District Election Results . 2024-06-29 . . en-US . 0362-4331.
  24. Web site: Cohen . Li . 2022-09-14 . 25-year-old Karoline Leavitt becomes first Republican Gen Z congressional nominee after winning New Hampshire primary - CBS News . 2024-11-16 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  25. Web site: Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 8/14 . 2024-07-07 . . en.
  26. Web site: Wonder Woman Karoline Leavitt: Her Life as a New Mom & Trump's Spokeswoman . 2024-11-16 . The Conservateur . en-US.
  27. Web site: CNN Anchor Takes Trump Spokeswoman Off Air for Attacking Network's Debate Moderators: 'Ma'am, We're Going to Stop' . 2024-11-16 . People.com.
  28. Web site: Sullivan . Mike . M Street millionaire . seacoastonline.com . . 20 November 2024.
  29. Web site: KAROLINE LEAVITT Public figure Wife. Mama. Trump Campaign National Press Secretary . instagram.com . . 20 November 2024.
  30. Web site: Mettler . Zachary . Meet Karoline Leavitt: New Press Secretary, New Mom and Fierce Media Disrupter . dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com . November 18, 2024 . Focus on the Family . 20 November 2024 . “I looked at my husband and said, ‘Looks like I’m going back to work.’” .
  31. News: Coen . Susie . 2024-11-15 . Karoline Leavitt: Trump's new press secretary who was kicked off CNN . 2024-11-16 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
  32. News: Bookman . Todd . It may be her first campaign, but the building blocks of Leavitt's politics were laid years ago . 19 October 2022 . 26 June 2024 . . 26 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240626040214/https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2022-10-19/it-may-be-her-first-campaign-but-building-blocks-of-leavitts-politics-were-laid-years-ago . live.
  33. News: McCormack . Kathy . 30 October 2022 . Leavitt, 25, cites youth in a bid to be the youngest Congresswoman . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240626040615/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-inflation-donald-trump-51418003338eb89abfbfc6aac6909abd . 26 June 2024 . 26 June 2024 . Associated Press News.

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