Karoline Leavitt used her final day as White House press secretary to deliver an aggressive preview of President Donald Trump's midterm-election message, accusing Democrats of favoring higher taxes, weaker immigration enforcement and policies that would undermine law enforcement as she prepared to leave the administration for an outside advisory role.
Appearing Thursday on Fox & Friends in New York, Leavitt said Trump plans to campaign around the country for Republican candidates ahead of November's elections and intends to deploy his political resources to help the party maintain its position in Congress. Her remarks turned what was billed partly as a farewell interview into a campaign-style argument over taxes, immigration and crime.
Asked by host Brian Kilmeade how much Trump could spend to support Republican candidates, including figures such as Ken Paxton in Texas, Leavitt declined to provide a number while noting that she remained a government employee.
"I don't have an exact dollar figure for you, I'm still a government employee here at the White House today," Leavitt said. She added that Trump "intends to spend money to ensure Republicans get over the finish line."
Leavitt said the president would be "traversing the country, meeting with everyday Americans, and campaigning on behalf of the great Republican candidates across the board." The planned push would put Trump at the center of Republicans' effort to make the midterms a referendum on his second-term agenda.
"What your audience needs to remember is what this president and Republicans in Congress have done," Leavitt told Fox & Friends hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones.
She highlighted what she described as "the largest middle-class tax cuts in American history," along with policies involving taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security. Leavitt said those measures were "putting more money in your pockets today," while accusing congressional Democrats of opposing the administration's economic agenda.
"So, they want to talk about affordability?" Leavitt said. "They voted to raise your taxes, they voted against the largest middle-class tax cuts in American history."
Democrats have disputed Republican characterizations of the tax policies, including claims about how their benefits are distributed. Leavitt's remarks nevertheless illustrated how the White House and Trump's political operation are likely to frame the economic argument heading into November.
Her strongest rhetoric focused on immigration and public safety. Leavitt said Trump inherited "a mess, a wide-open border, from the Democrats in the Biden administration" and argued that the president had "sealed it on day one."
She also said the administration is "deporting violent, illegal alien criminals from this country" and described Democrats as "complete radicals on this issue."
"They want to open our prisons, abolish our police, and keep our borders wide-open to countries and criminals all over this world," Leavitt said. "So, there's a huge contrast on the ballot, and you're going to continue to hear the president drive that contrast in travel across the country."
The characterization represents Leavitt's political argument rather than a single stated Democratic Party policy. Democratic leaders have rejected claims that the party broadly supports abolishing police departments or opening prisons, even as individual Democrats have advocated different approaches to policing, immigration and criminal-justice policy.
The interview also marked the end of Leavitt's 20-month tenure as one of the administration's most visible officials. Fox & Friends played a montage of her exchanges with White House reporters, prompting Leavitt to reflect on a job that made her a prominent public defender of Trump's policies.
"Oh, man, good times. Great memories," she said after watching the clips. "There's nothing like stepping before that podium."
Leavitt described leaving as "a little bit bittersweet" and called serving as press secretary "the adventure of a lifetime." She said she would miss the role but wanted to spend more time with her two young children.
"It's bitter because I'm leaving a job that I love so very much, and it's been the honour and blessing of a lifetime to work for this president. There will never be another like him," Leavitt said.
She said Trump had been "very understanding as a boss and a friend" about her decision, adding that her two-year-old and four-month-old are at "a critical time in their life where they need their mom home a little bit more."
Leavitt isn't planning a complete departure from Trump's political orbit. She said she intends to spend more time with her family while "continuing to serve the president as a top advisor on the outside," following an earlier promise to supporters that "you guys will see me all the time."
