Karoline Leavitt has said Democrats used Donald Trump’s political playbook to secure victories in both the Senate and the House at the recent midterm elections.
Speaking to Lara Trump on Fox News, the former White House press secretary said Republicans must find a new leader capable of appealing to the voters who had been drawn to the party by the president.
“President Trump wasn’t on the ballot in these midterms, he’ll never be at the top of the ticket again,” Leavitt said.
She argued that the party needed an “America first” candidate who could connect with what she called the “forgotten men and women” who supported Mr Trump between 2016 and 2024.
Leavitt said Democrats had succeeded by making voters feel that their lives would improve if they turned out to vote.
“We need to do that again, the same way, the same fashion President Trump did,” she said. “It just has to be a new person at the top of the ticket.”
On election night, Leavitt blamed the Republican defeat on voters forgetting Mr Trump’s “good policy” and listening to what she described as “the lying media”.
She also praised comments from James Talarico, who said he wanted to work with Mr Trump on behalf of Texas after being elected the state’s new senator. However, she expressed doubt that wider co-operation between Republicans and Democrats would follow.
Leavitt pointed to comments by Democratic congressman Robert Garcia, who warned Mr Trump and his family to “lawyer up”. Garcia said Democrats would investigate allegations involving the president’s family, including claims concerning business interests, cryptocurrency schemes and Jared Kushner’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Those claims were presented by Garcia as matters for investigation. He also criticised Stephen Miller, who was identified as the replacement for Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, and said Democrats would continue examining his conduct.
Leavitt, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022 against Chris Pappas, ruled out another attempt to enter elected politics when Lara Trump asked whether she might stand for office again.
“No ma’am, I am good!” she replied.
