Ex-White House spokesperson Leavitt, dubbed 'machine-gun lips,' joins Fox News

Caroline Leavitt, 29, the combative spokesperson who served as an indispensable attack dog for Donald Trump's second administration, has joined Fox News.

Fox News announced that Leavitt will join the network as an on-air contributor starting Nov. 1, The New York Times reported Monday (local time).

Leavitt was the youngest White House press secretary in US history.

One of Trump's closest confidants, she had served as a campaign spokesperson during his presidential run before taking the podium at the White House.

Trump once said her lips moved "like a machine gun" for the rapid-fire way she delivered her remarks.

Leavitt gave birth to her second child in May and went on maternity leave. She left the White House in late August, saying she wanted to spend more time with her two young children.

She is expected to appear as a commentator on Fox News opinion and news programs beginning next month, The New York Times said.

Fox Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement that Leavitt's "firsthand experience at the White House and on the campaign trail provides a unique understanding of today's political landscape."

Leavitt said in her own statement that she would bring to Fox News "the unique perspective and candor that defined my time in the Trump administration."

Kayleigh McEnany, who served as the last White House press secretary of Trump's first term, followed a similar path — joining Fox News as a contributor in 2021 and now hosting her own program.

Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and wife of his second son Eric, also hosts a weekly program on the network.

Fox News alumni Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy and Mehmet Oz were tapped for Trump's second-term Cabinet as secretary of defense, secretary of transportation and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, respectively.

Leavitt stood at the front line of defending Trump, never shying away from sharp responses even before reporters who had covered the White House for decades.

She was caught on camera calling a reporter's question "a really stupid question" during a briefing, and on another occasion told a journalist they were "just a left-wing activist, not a reporter" rather than answering the question, according to Yonhap.

While she clashed openly with mainstream media on camera — trading in mockery and lectures — she was said to be considerably more cooperative with the press behind the scenes.

Trusted deeply by Trump, she stayed close to the president at key moments, keeping abreast of the issues at hand and fielding questions from the media.

CNN said that while Trump "rarely needs a spokesperson since he delivers his own messages through interviews and social media," Leavitt's departure was "a significant loss, both personally and politically."