Leavitt reshaped White House press access during her tenure
Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down as White House press secretary in August, is joining Fox News as an on-air contributor, according to the New York Times, citing a network announcement. Leavitt, 29, was the youngest press secretary in White House history.
She left the administration after the birth of her second child earlier this year, saying at the time that she planned to spend more time with her family and take a role with the Trump-aligned Super Pac Maga Inc.
Her move to a cable-news contributor role caps a tenure in which she reshaped the White House’s interactions with the press corps, including tighter control of the press pool and the creation of a “new media” briefing room seat.
During her time in the West Wing, Leavitt moved to exert greater control over the press pool, the small group of journalists who closely track the president’s daily activities. The “new media” briefing room seat she created was often filled by conservative commentators and pro-Trump personalities. She frequently clashed with reporters in the briefing room.
When she announced her pregnancy in December, Leavitt became the first sitting White House press secretary to do so publicly.
Throughout her tenure, Leavitt emerged as one of Trump’s most steadfast defenders. She became a key ally for the president and regularly drew praise from him during her time in the West Wing.