Karoline Leavitt is going back to MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC sitting on more than $350 million for the midterms — not to some K Street consulting firm, proving the America First movement rewards loyalty and results while the swamp rewards access-selling.
The youngest White House press secretary in history told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday that she'll rejoin the super PAC after stepping down at the end of August. She didn't specify her title. "You guys will still see me all the time," Leavitt told the press cabin, according to Breitbart.
This isn't the standard Washington exit. The swamp's revolving door spits spokespeople into lobbying shops, corporate boards, and cable news contributor contracts. Leavitt is returning to the same political operation where she served as spokesperson from 2022 to 2024 before joining Trump's campaign. She's staying in the movement, not cashing out.
MAGA Inc. has reportedly accumulated more than $350 million in campaign funds ahead of November's midterms, according to The Hill, cited by Breitbart. That's a war chest aimed at protecting Trump-backed candidates — and Leavitt will be part of deploying it.
President Trump made clear the departure is personal, not political. "I'm going to miss her," he told reporters before boarding Air Force One for what Leavitt said would be her last official trip — a rally for Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina. Trump said Leavitt will remain one of his "top outside advisers" and an "influential voice within the Republican Party."
Leavitt announced earlier this month she's leaving to spend more time with her two young children. "I love my kids even more," she said Friday, according to Gateway Pundit. Her husband Nicholas Riccio is a New Hampshire real estate developer, Breitbart reported.
The replacement race is already underway. Trump said he's received an unprecedented number of applications: "I've never had so many job applications in my life. She's made that job very glamorous." Gateway Pundit, citing the New York Post, reported two front-runners: Alina Habba, Trump's defense attorney, and Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle. Other names include former deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, Katie Miller — wife of deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and former aide to Elon Musk at DOGE — principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, and protocol chief Monica Crowley. CNN's Scott Jennings is also reportedly in the running.
The broader White House personnel moves signal preparation for what comes after November. The Washington Examiner reported that Will Scharf — who defended Trump against special counsel Jack Smith's indictment — is being positioned to lead the response to congressional investigations if Democrats retake the House. Former U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins told the Examiner that Scharf "is a litigator who knows the president, knows the administration, and is not likely to be intimidated by congressional threats."
Leavitt will return for the RNC's midterm convention September 9-10 before fully transitioning to MAGA Inc. The question isn't whether she stays in Trump's orbit. It's whether $350 million and a loyal fighter turned super PAC operative can hold the line in November — or whether the swamp finds a way back in.
