Karoline Leavitt Bio
Karoline Leavitt (born August 24, 1997) is an American political spokesperson and a member of the Republican Party. She has served as the 36th White House Press Secretary since 2025, making her the youngest person ever to hold that position. A graduate of Saint Anselm College, Leavitt rose quickly through Republican political circles, working in the Trump White House before running for Congress and later returning to lead the administration’s communications operation.
Karoline Leavitt Early Life and Background
Karoline Leavitt was born on August 24, 1997, in Atkinson, New Hampshire. She was the youngest of three children of Bob and Erin Leavitt. Her family owned an ice cream stand in Atkinson, and her father owned a used truck dealership in nearby Plaistow. Growing up in a small New Hampshire town shaped her early understanding of small business and community life.
Leavitt attended Central Catholic High School, a private Catholic school in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She played softball and was named an Eagle-Tribune All-Star in 2014 and 2015. In interviews, she has credited her Roman Catholic education with shaping her values, including her faith, her views on family, and her anti-abortion stance. Her schooling also helped spark an early interest in public service and political communication.
She began attending Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, in 2015 on a softball scholarship. She majored in communications and minored in political science, and she spent a semester studying at John Cabot University in Rome. Leavitt became deeply involved with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, interned for a United States senator and for the television station WMUR, and wrote for the campus paper, the Saint Anselm Crier. She graduated in 2019, becoming the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree.
Karoline Leavitt Path to US Politics
Leavitt’s path to US politics began during her college years, when she interned as a writer in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. That experience introduced her to the daily operations of a presidential administration and gave her a clear view of how Washington communicates with the public. After graduating, she was offered a full-time job in the same office, responding to letters sent to President Donald Trump.
By June 2020, she had been promoted to associate director of the Office of Presidential Correspondence. That same month, she was named an assistant White House Press Secretary after a personal aide to the president referred her to then-Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Mentors like McEnany helped shape Leavitt’s communications style, which she would later carry into her own career in political media.
After the 2020 presidential election, Leavitt left the White House and became the communications director for New York Representative Elise Stefanik. That role gave her experience managing press strategy on Capitol Hill and set the stage for her own run for federal office.
Karoline Leavitt Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Karoline Leavitt began her career in 2019 as a staff writer in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence, where she wrote letters and notes on behalf of President Trump. Within a year she had been promoted to associate director of the office. In June 2020, she was elevated to assistant White House Press Secretary, joining Kayleigh McEnany’s communications team during the first Trump administration.
Her early White House tenure included notable moments beyond the briefing room. She attended an event in the Rose Garden that is widely seen as the beginning of the White House COVID-19 outbreak, and she later tested positive for the virus. In January 2021, weeks before President Trump left office, Leavitt transitioned to Capitol Hill as communications director for Representative Elise Stefanik.
Congressional Campaign Breakthrough (2021–2022)
On July 19, 2021, Karoline Leavitt announced her campaign for the United States House of Representatives in New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district. She positioned herself as a strong pro-Trump candidate and quickly drew attention. Within three days, her campaign had raised $100,000, signaling strong early support from Republican donors.
During the primary, Leavitt competed against Matt Mowers, the 2020 Republican nominee. She criticized Mowers as not supportive enough of President Trump and received endorsements from prominent Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz, Representatives Lauren Boebert and Jim Jordan, and her former boss Elise Stefanik. Leavitt won the Republican primary in September 2022.
In the general election, she faced Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas and lost. Although the campaign ended in defeat, it raised her national profile and established her as a rising voice in conservative politics.
MAGA Inc. and 2024 Campaign (2023–2024)
Following her congressional run, Karoline Leavitt joined MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Donald Trump. She appeared in a video produced for Project 2025, a political initiative focused on training potential Republican appointees to counter the federal bureaucracy. In January 2024, she became the national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, handling daily media messaging for his third White House bid.
White House Press Secretary (2025–Present)
On November 15, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump named Karoline Leavitt as his White House Press Secretary. At 27 years old, she became the youngest person ever to hold the position. Her appointment made national headlines and was widely covered as a generational shift in the role.
Leavitt gave her first press briefing on January 28, 2025, opening by inviting non-traditional media outlets to ask questions. Her tenure has been marked by a combative communications style and a willingness to confront reporters directly. She has called on new media outlets more often than previous press secretaries and added a dedicated new media seat in the briefing room. Leavitt has also been at the center of legal disputes, including Associated Press v. Budowich, a case involving White House access and the Gulf of Mexico naming issue.
She is the first White House Press Secretary to serve while pregnant, announcing in December 2025 that she is expecting her second child.
Notable Events and Milestones
Karoline Leavitt’s most defining milestones include becoming the youngest White House Press Secretary in U.S. history and returning to the briefing room podium where she had once served as an assistant. Her 2022 Republican primary win in New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district was another turning point, signaling her appeal among conservative voters despite her general election loss.
Karoline Leavitt Career Wins
Karoline Leavitt’s verifiable career wins include her 2022 Republican primary victory in New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district and her successful bid to become the 36th White House Press Secretary in 2025. She has also built a record of fundraising and messaging success as a campaign spokesperson for Donald Trump and as a pro-Trump voice on cable news.
Congressional Campaign Highlights
Karoline Leavitt’s most notable electoral win came in September 2022, when she won the Republican primary for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district. She later lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas, but the primary victory established her as a serious political figure in the state and nationally.
Other Wins and Achievements
Beyond electoral wins, Leavitt was named national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and was appointed White House Press Secretary at the youngest age in American history. She has also been recognized as a leading voice for conservative and pro-Trump media strategy.
Karoline Leavitt Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Karoline Leavitt is the daughter of Bob and Erin Leavitt. Her family owned an ice cream stand in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and her father owned a used truck dealership in Plaistow. She became the first person in her immediate family to graduate from college, earning her degree from Saint Anselm College in 2019.
Personal Life
Leavitt is a practicing Roman Catholic. In December 2023, she became engaged to Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer from New Hampshire who is 32 years her senior. The couple was introduced in 2022 at a restaurant during her congressional campaign. Their son was born in July 2024, and Leavitt married Riccio in January 2025, days before President Trump’s second inauguration. In December 2025, she announced that she is pregnant with their second child, making her the first pregnant White House Press Secretary in U.S. history.