US President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is leaving the White House and returning to MAGA Inc., the political organisation supporting his movement and presidency. The 28-year-old announced on Friday that she intended to rejoin the organisation after stepping down from her official role.
Leavitt had announced the previous week that she would leave her position as White House press secretary at the end of the month. She said the decision was prompted by a desire to focus more on her family following the birth of her second child.
Trump praised Leavitt as “one of my closest confidantes” and said she would continue working for him as an external adviser after leaving the White House. Her move therefore represents a shift from an official government position to a role within the political organisation supporting the president.
MAGA Inc. is a so-called Super-PAC, a political action and fundraising committee that supports Trump. Unlike traditional political committees, Super-PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money to fund political advertising for a party or candidate. They have consequently become an important force in US election campaigns.
Leavitt is already familiar with the organisation. She worked for MAGA Inc. from 2022 to 2024 before moving to Trump’s election campaign. Her return places a close Trump ally once again inside an organisation whose principal purpose is political fundraising and campaigning.
The name MAGA refers to Trump’s political slogan, “Make America Great Again”, which has become the defining phrase of his political movement.
Leavitt’s departure comes only months before the US congressional midterm elections in November, when Trump’s Republicans face the prospect of defeat. Her return to MAGA Inc. therefore comes at a politically consequential moment for the president and his party, although the source text does not specify what role she will play in the organisation’s campaign activities.
Trump has yet to announce who will replace Leavitt as his White House press secretary. Asked about her successor on Friday, he did not name any candidates. Instead, he said he had received “more applications than I’ve ever had in my life”.
Leavitt’s transition from the White House to MAGA Inc. highlights the close relationship between Trump’s official administration and the political organisations supporting his broader movement. While she is leaving her government post, Trump has indicated that she will remain connected to him as an external adviser.
Her return to MAGA Inc. also brings her back to an organisation she previously served before joining Trump’s campaign, completing a move from political advocacy to the White House and now back into the political operation surrounding the president.
With the congressional elections approaching and Trump’s Republicans facing a potential setback, the departure of one of his most trusted public defenders marks a significant change in the president’s communications operation at a critical point in his administration.
