Karoline Leavitt, who until August served as President Donald Trump’s press secretary and chief spokeswoman, is joining Fox News as an on-air contributor, the network announced Monday, adding another former White House briefing room figure to the cable channel’s roster of Trump-world personalities. She starts Nov. 1.
Leavitt, 29, was the youngest person ever appointed White House press secretary. She built a reputation at the lectern as an unflinching defender of the president, who has said her lips “move like a ‘machine gun.'” Her hiring was reported by The New York Times, which first detailed the move on Oct. 5.
A Role Across Opinion and News Programming
Fox News said Leavitt is expected to provide commentary across numerous programs, including both opinion and news shows. The network is owned by Rupert Murdoch.
The appointment follows a recent run of Fox personalities moving into Mr. Trump’s second administration, with Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy and Mehmet Oz filling key cabinet positions. Leavitt’s move runs the other direction, from the administration back to the network, where she interned during her college years.
Statements From Fox News and Leavitt
“Karoline’s firsthand experience in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a distinct understanding of today’s political landscape,” Suzanne Scott, the chief executive of Fox News Media, said in a statement.
Leavitt pledged in her own statement to bring to the network “the unique perspective and candor that defined my tenure with the Trump administration.”
From Campaign Trail to the White House Lectern
Leavitt rose quickly in Mr. Trump’s political orbit. She worked in his first administration and later served as national press secretary for his 2024 campaign, making her a regular presence on cable news before taking the White House podium at 27.
At the lectern, she frequently criticized mainstream media outlets and sparred with reporters in the briefing room. Her place in Mr. Trump’s inner circle also meant she could give journalists information directly from the president.
Departure From the White House
In May, Leavitt went on maternity leave after giving birth to her second child. She ultimately said she would leave the administration to spend more time with her young children, with her departure taking effect at the end of August.
At the time, she vowed to “remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party.” No permanent successor had been named in the weeks after she left, and other senior officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, filled in as the administration’s spokespeople.
Leavitt has since left Washington and lives with her family in New Hampshire, where she grew up. In the weeks after her exit, she continued to appear on Fox News programs.
A Complicated Relationship Between Trump and Fox
Fox News has close ties to the president. Prime-time hosts Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters defend him nightly, Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, hosts a weekly show, and cabinet secretaries regularly appear on the network’s programs.
The relationship has also been strained. Last week, Mr. Trump declared on social media that Fox News airs “a completely negative narrative” and added that “MAGA, and REAL Patriots, will never like Fox!” On Sunday, he posted again, criticizing “Fox & Friends” and complaining that the network had taken his ally Maria Bartiromo off the air.
Background on Bartiromo and Fox’s Legal History
Bartiromo’s exit was another example of the tension between the president and the network. She lost her show partly because she notified a Trump adviser that Fox News had decided not to cover some of Mr. Trump’s recent claims about a stolen election.
The network has faced consequences for election coverage before. In 2023, Fox News paid $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by a voting technology company.
A Familiar Path From Podium to Studio
Leavitt is the third of Mr. Trump’s former press secretaries to land a post-White House job at the network. Kayleigh McEnany, who held the role during the final stretch of Mr. Trump’s first term, is now a co-host of the lunchtime show “Outnumbered” and hosts her own Saturday program. She joined Fox in 2021 as a contributor.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, another press secretary in Mr. Trump’s first term, was a paid Fox contributor from 2019 to 2021.
The move from the briefing room to television is common across party lines. Dana Perino, a press secretary to former President George W. Bush, has worked for Fox News since 2009. Jen Psaki, a press secretary to former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., joined MSNBC in 2022 and now hosts one of that network’s prime-time shows.
What the Move Means
Leavitt’s hiring places one of the president’s most recognizable communicators on the network where his message reaches its largest audience on the right. Her commentary across opinion and news programs, starting Nov. 1, will come as the president publicly questions the network’s coverage even as his allies fill its airwaves.