Anna Kelly (spokesperson)

Anna Kelly
Special Assistant to the President
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byHarrison Fields
Deputy White House Press Secretary
In office
20 January 2025 – 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
National Press Secretary of the Republican National Committee
In office
2023 – January 2025
Communications Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin
In office
January 2021 – August 2022
Preceded byAlec Zimmerman
Succeeded byChad Doran
Personal details
Born1996 (age 29–30)
EducationAuburn University (BA)

Anna Kelly (born 1996) is an American spokesperson who has served as the White House principal deputy press secretary since February 2026.

Early life and education

Anna Kelly was born in 1996.[1][2] Kelly graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2017. Kelly applied as a White House intern in the first Trump administration in her senior year.[3] She won the Miss State Fair of Virginia in 2019.[1]

Career

Spokesperson work (2020–2024)

By May 2020, Kelly had become a spokesperson for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign in Wisconsin.[4] By October 2022, she had become a spokesperson for Tim Michels, the Republican candidate in that year's Wisconsin gubernatorial election;[5] by July 2023, a spokesperson for Wisconsin representative Derrick Van Orden;[5] and by January 2024, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee.[6] After Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Kelly became a spokesperson for his presidential transition.[7]

White House Office of the Press Secretary (2025–present)

On January 25, 2025, Trump named Kelly as a White House deputy press secretary.[8] By February 2026, she had become the White House principal deputy press secretary.[9] Kelly was one of several women who accompanied Trump on his visit to China in May.[10] After Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, announced that she would resign in August, Kelly was considered a possible candidate to succeed her.[a] According to Politico, Kelly had been suggested as a candidate internally.[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Attributed to multiple references:[11][12][13][14]

References

  1. 1 2 Balls, Katy; Kendix, Max (August 13, 2026). "Who could replace Karoline Leavitt as Trump's press secretary?". The Times. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Fairfax woman named Miss State Fair of Virginia". Morning AgClips. September 26, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ Trudo, Hanna (April 3, 2017). "Trump's White House seeks new apprentices". Politico. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  4. ↑ Medina, Jennifer; Epstein, Reid (May 12, 2020). "Mike Garcia, G.O.P. House Candidate, Is Ahead in California". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Wisconsin Republican Michels: 'I will never arrest a doctor'". Politico. Associated Press. October 18, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ Fernandez, Madison; Montellaro, Zach (January 10, 2024). "'We just hit rock bottom on chaos': Battleground state GOPs besieged with leadership fights". Politico. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ Ward, Myah (December 26, 2024). "'Crazy worked just fine the first time': Why some Republicans see Trump's imperialist musings as an act of negotiation". Politico. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kahn, Debra (January 25, 2025). "Trump's play for LA". Politico. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  9. ↑ Liles, Jordan (February 20, 2026). "Did Trump once say Obama would start war with Iran due to his inability to negotiate?". Snopes. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ McGarvey, Emily (May 14, 2026). "Where Are the Women at the Trump-Xi Summit?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Mallory (August 13, 2026). "Who will replace Leavitt? Top contenders emerge". The Hill. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  12. ↑ Greene, Connor (August 13, 2026). "Who Might Replace Karoline Leavitt as Press Secretary?". Time. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  13. ↑ Popat, Shrai (August 13, 2026). "Who will replace Karoline Leavitt as the next White House press secretary?". The Guardian. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  14. ↑ Habeshian, Sareen; Debusmann, Bernd (August 13, 2026). "Who could replace White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt?". BBC News. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  15. ↑ Johansen, Ben; Gangitano, Alex (August 13, 2026). "Inside the search to replace Karoline Leavitt". Politico. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
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