Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is joining Fox News as an on-air contributor starting November 1, 2026. Leavitt, who at 29 was the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, stepped down from the Trump administration in August 2026 to spend time with her family. She is the third of Trump's former press secretaries to join Fox News, highlighting a persistent revolving door between the White House lectern and cable news networks.
Karoline Leavitt's new role at Fox News
- ▪Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will join Fox News as an on-air contributor starting November 1, 2026.
- ▪Karoline Leavitt will provide political commentary and analysis across Fox News' news and opinion programming, and the network has agreed to build a studio in her New Hampshire home.
Press secretaries transitioning to television
- ▪Karoline Leavitt is the third former press secretary of Donald Trump to join Fox News, following Kayleigh McEnany and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
- ▪The transition from White House press secretary to television roles is a common industry pattern, with former press secretaries Jen Psaki joining MSNBC and Dana Perino joining Fox News.
Leavitt's White House tenure and departure
- ▪Karoline Leavitt served as President Donald Trump's White House press secretary from January 2025 until her departure at the end of August 2026.
- ▪Karoline Leavitt stepped down from her White House role to spend more time with her family after giving birth to her second child, Viviana, in May 2026.
- ▪During her tenure as White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt exerted greater control over the press pool, created a briefing room seat for "new media" conservative commentators, and frequently clashed with reporters
Leavitt's historic milestones as press secretary
- ▪When Karoline Leavitt announced her pregnancy in December, she became the first sitting White House press secretary to do so.
- ▪At age 29, Karoline Leavitt was the youngest person in United States history to hold the position of White House press secretary.
Donald Trump's relationship with Fox News
- ▪Donald Trump has maintained a complex relationship with Fox News, recently criticizing the network on Truth Social for not covering his rallies and for removing host Maria Bartiromo.
- ▪Donald Trump's second administration has recruited multiple Fox News personalities for key cabinet and administration positions, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Debatable claims
- ▪The transition of White House press secretaries to cable news roles harms journalistic integrity
- ▪The hiring pipeline between Fox News and the Trump administration undermines the network's independence
- ▪Karoline Leavitt's restrictions on the White House press pool went too far
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