Karoline Leavitt is taking her defense of President Donald Trump from the White House briefing room to Fox News.
The network announced Monday that the former White House press secretary will join as an on-air contributor Nov. 1, giving one of Trump’s most recognizable advocates a new platform just ahead of the midterm elections.
Leavitt, 29, will appear across Fox’s news and opinion programs. She stepped down in August after taking maternity leave following the birth of her second child in May, saying she wanted more time with her young children.
Her departure came with a promise to “remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party.”
The Fox job gives her a way to do that from outside Washington. Leavitt has moved back to her home state of New Hampshire with her family and said she would bring viewers “the unique perspective and candor that defined my tenure with the Trump administration.”
“Karoline’s firsthand experience in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a distinct understanding of today’s political landscape,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement.
The youngest person ever appointed White House press secretary, Leavitt quickly became a forceful defender of Trump, regularly challenging reporters and taking aim at mainstream news coverage.
Trump applauded her rapid-fire delivery, saying her lips “move like a ‘machine gun.’” Her access to the president also made her a direct source of information for the reporters she frequently battled.
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Leavitt will follow a familiar path at Fox. Kayleigh McEnany, who handled White House briefings during the closing months of Trump’s first term, joined the network as a contributor in 2021. She now co-hosts “Outnumbered” and has a Saturday show.
Dana Perino, who served as press secretary under President George W. Bush, has been with Fox since 2009.
The personnel pipeline has run in both directions. Trump tapped Fox personalities Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy and Mehmet Oz for senior administration posts, while his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, hosts a weekly program on the network.
Fox’s prime-time hosts Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters are also outspoken defenders of the president, and administration officials regularly appear on its programs.
Those relationships haven’t stopped Trump from unloading on the network when he objects to its coverage.
Last week, he accused Fox of airing “a completely negative narrative” and declared that “MAGA, and REAL Patriots, will never like Fox!”
He renewed his criticism Sunday, targeting “Fox & Friends” and objecting to the network’s decision to take Maria Bartiromo off the air.
Leavitt’s arrival will add another veteran of Trump’s inner circle to Fox’s lineup as the president presses his party’s case in the final days before the Nov. 3 elections.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
