CV NEWS FEED // White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, a 27-year-old devout Catholic, spoke Tuesday afternoon at the second Trump administration’s first press conference.
Leavitt, a mother and wife, is the youngest presidential press secretary in U.S. history. “It’s an honor to be here with all of you,” she said at Tuesday’s presser. “President Trump is back and the Golden Age of America has most definitely begun.”
Leavitt first served as an assistant press secretary in President Donald Trump’s first administration, taking on the role in 2019 just after graduating college.
She later served “as the communications director for fellow second Trump administration pick Elise Stefanik,” CatholicVote previously reported. “Two years ago, Leavitt was the Republican nominee for the U.S. House district in New Hampshire from which she hails.”
She returned to Trump’s team in 2024 as press secretary for his presidential campaign.
Leavitt’s Catholic faith has always been central to her life and work. Born and raised in New Hampshire, she grew up in a devout Catholic family and attended Catholic educational institutions throughout both high school and college.
In a 2021 interview with The Catholic Current, Leavitt said: “My family is the bedrock of my life, as all families should continue to be the bedrock of society. And my faith in God carries me through.”
As a young girl, Leavitt worked at her family’s business, an ice cream shop in her hometown of Atkinson, New Hampshire. The experience taught her the value of hard work, she told The Current.
“Everything needs to be earned. I was taught that very young and those values were really ingrained in me,” she said.
She also spoke fondly of her Catholic high school experience. “It taught me discipline,” she recalled. “It brought me closer in my own relationship with God, and it also taught me about the importance of public service and giving back to your community.”
“Having a Catholic education really formed who I am,” she continued.
In July 2024, while working as Trump’s press secretary during the presidential campaign, Leavitt and her husband welcomed their first child, Nicholas, who is now six months old.
My first born son decided to enter the world during one of the busiest news weeks in history… so we are cheering on President Trump, @JDVance1, and @TeamTrump from home❤️
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) July 18, 2024
Now that I’m a mom, I’m more fired up than ever to re-elect President Trump. The future of our country… pic.twitter.com/Y6iHDqCIx7
In an interview with The Conservateur in October 2024, Leavitt described the challenges of being a working mom.
“Your brain will learn to move in ways that you never thought possible and you learn to be a master at multitasking,” she said. “I have legitimately done my makeup, while nursing my baby, while talking on the phone prepping for my T.V. hit all at the same time.”
Leavitt recognizes the importance of her role in politics as well as her role as a mother.
“My hope in all this is, when I tell Niko one day all that I did when he was in my belly and around the time he was born, he’ll be proud of his mom,” she said. “If he knows his worth is not from any other person, but from God, he can accomplish anything.”
Just a week after bringing her son home from the hospital, Leavitt received a phone call from the Trumps.
“It was incredibly warm and kind,” Leavitt shared with The Conservateur, describing the conversation in which the Trumps checked in on her well-being.
“Mrs. Trump and I talked about how wonderful it is to be a mother to a boy,” Leavitt recalled. “That was such a special phone call.”
Trump announced his selection of Leavitt as White House press secretary in November.
“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator,” Trump said. “I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again.”