Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt returned to the national political spotlight Thursday night, addressing Republicans at the party’s midterm convention in Dallas less than two weeks after leaving the Trump administration.
Leavitt appeared during prime-time programming on the second and final night of the gathering, delivering a speech that praised President Donald Trump’s second-term record and urged Republican voters not to become complacent before the November midterm elections.
? EPIC! Karoline Leavitt just walked out to a ROARING crowd at the RNC
"It feels good to be back behind a podium!"
"And let me just say feels MUCH better speaking to a stadium full of PATRIOTS than a briefing room full of JOURNALISTS!"
???@karolineleavitt is the GOAT!… pic.twitter.com/tdNIhVjCd2
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 11, 2026
Now working outside the administration and with the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc., Leavitt used the appearance to make clear that her departure from the White House did not amount to a departure from Trump’s political operation.
Leavitt opened by joking about the contrast between the friendly convention audience and the reporters she spent more than a year facing from behind the White House briefing-room podium. “I’m accustomed to addressing a room of people who generally don’t like me very much,” she told the crowd before taking a shot at what she called the “fake news” media.
She then turned quickly to the midterms. Leavitt told Republican voters that supporting Trump required more than cheering his policies or expressing support online. “Pair your prayer with action,” she said, urging the audience to vote and help Republicans retain control of Congress.
Her speech was built around the central message of the Dallas convention: Trump may not personally be on the ballot this fall, but Republican leaders want his supporters to behave as though he is. Trump repeatedly made that argument throughout the two-day event, telling voters that the fate of his agenda during the final two years of his presidency depends heavily on whether Republicans continue controlling the House and Senate. Leavitt echoed that appeal.
She praised the administration’s immigration and public-safety policies, defended Trump’s record and warned that Republicans could lose the ability to advance his agenda if supporters fail to turn out in November. She also reminded the audience that Trump has only two years remaining in his term, framing the midterms as a critical opportunity for Republicans to give him a Congress capable of carrying out the remainder of his legislative program.
Leavitt also devoted part of her speech to Trump’s personal interactions with Americans affected by tragedy. She recounted private encounters in which Trump contacted or met with families and argued that those moments reveal a side of the president that is often absent from political coverage.
The remarks fit a broader theme of her tenure as press secretary, during which Leavitt served as one of Trump’s most aggressive and visible defenders. Her appearance in Dallas came only two weeks after she completed her final day at the White House on Aug. 27.
