By Jim Thomas | Saturday, 29 August 2026 06:47 PM EDT
Karoline Leavitt closed out her final day as White House press secretary on Thursday but will remain in President Trump’s orbit through his super PAC, MAGA Inc., and an outside adviser role ahead of the midterms.
Trump announced her departure Aug. 12, saying she would step away to spend more time with her two young children and remain one of his top outside advisers.
Days later, aboard Air Force One, Leavitt confirmed she would return to MAGA Inc., where she worked as a spokesperson before joining Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Republican strategist Ford O’Connell stated that Leavitt “understands the base and how to break through the legacy news media cycle,” calling her skill set “invaluable to the president and to the Republican Party” as the midterms approach.
Her final trip with Trump was Friday’s rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., the appointed successor to her late brother Lindsey Graham who won her GOP primary runoff.
Leavitt drew a standing ovation. “She’s fantastic,” Trump told the crowd.
Leavitt said she would join Trump at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas Sept. 9-10.
She exits amid daunting numbers for the GOP.
A poll conducted from August 21 to 24 among 1,215 adults showed Trump’s approval rating at 33%, with a three-point margin of error.
Another survey of 1,000 likely voters, conducted on August 16 and 17 via text-to-web and weighted by gender, race, age, party, and region, indicated Democrats leading Republicans 51%-43% on the generic congressional ballot.
Leavitt used her final Thursday remarks to argue that Democrats had “voted against the largest tax cuts in American history,” vowing Trump would keep pressing his message through November.
MAGA Inc. and the White House are already accelerating: the super PAC announced that Vice President JD Vance will headline a rally next week in Sterling Heights, Michigan, alongside Senate nominee Mike Rogers and gubernatorial nominee Rep. John James, while Trump headlined an RNC fundraiser in Texas on Thursday evening.
At 28, Leavitt leaves behind the youngest-ever press secretary distinction and a Trump-orbit resume, having challenged Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in 2022.
Her former press-secretary peers have taken varied paths: Kayleigh McEnany and Jen Psaki went into television, while Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the Arkansas governorship.
Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, stated that Leavitt “clearly had aspirations for holding office” and asked, “why wouldn’t she think about that down the road?”
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, having practiced law for more than 20 years.
