Kayleigh McEnany facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kayleigh McEnany
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020
|
|
| 33rd White House Press Secretary | |
| In office April 7, 2020 – January 20, 2021 |
|
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Hogan Gidley Brian R. Morgenstern |
| Preceded by | Stephanie Grisham |
| Succeeded by | Jen Psaki |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kayleigh Michelle McEnany
April 18, 1988 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Sean Gilmartin
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Georgetown University (BS) St Edmund Hall, Oxford Harvard University (JD) |
| Occupation |
|
Kayleigh Michelle McEnany (born April 18, 1988) is an American political commentator and television personality. She was the 33rd White House press secretary for Donald Trump from 2020 to 2021. This job means she spoke for the President and his team to the news media.
Before working for President Trump, she was a producer for a TV show called Huckabee on Fox News. She also worked as a commentator on CNN. Later, she became a national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. She also worked for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. After her time in the White House, she returned to Fox News. She is now a co-host of Outnumbered.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kayleigh McEnany was born and grew up in Tampa, Florida. Her parents are Michael and Leanne McEnany. She also has a younger sister named Ryann. Kayleigh went to a private Catholic school in Tampa called the Academy of the Holy Names.
After high school, she studied international politics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.. She also studied abroad at St Edmund Hall, Oxford in England. While at Oxford, she learned about politics from Nick Thomas-Symonds, who later became a British politician.
After graduating from Georgetown in 2010, McEnany worked for three years as a producer for the Mike Huckabee Show. She then went to University of Miami School of Law for one year. She later transferred to Harvard Law School and graduated in 2016. At Miami, she received an award for being one of the top students.
Career Highlights
While in college, McEnany interned for several politicians. These included Tom Gallagher, Adam Putnam, and George W. Bush. She also worked in the White House Office of Communications. There, she helped write media briefings.
Media Roles
While she was in law school, McEnany appeared on CNN as a paid commentator. She supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. However, in early 2015, before she supported Trump, she was critical of him. She said on CNN and Fox Business that he was a "showman." She also called his comments about Mexican immigrants "racist."
On August 5, 2017, McEnany left her job at CNN. The next day, she hosted a short video called Real News Update on Trump's Facebook page. In the video, she praised Trump.
Her former boss, Mike Huckabee, said she was a "meticulous researcher." This means she was very careful and detailed in her work. Van Jones, who worked with her at CNN, noted her quick success. He said few people in politics achieve what she did so quickly.
Republican Political Strategist
_(cropped).jpg)
McEnany has been involved with the Republican Party since college. She was critical of the Obama presidency. In 2012, she posted tweets that questioned Barack Obama's birthplace. This was part of a conspiracy theory movement.
On August 7, 2017, the Republican National Committee (RNC) named McEnany as its national spokesperson. As RNC spokeswoman, McEnany supported Trump. This was after his comments about a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump had suggested that both white supremacists and anti-racist protesters were to blame for violence. McEnany tweeted that the Republican Party supported Trump's "message of love and inclusiveness."
In August 2019, The Washington Post reported that Trump had made many false or misleading statements. McEnany told CNN's Chris Cuomo that she did not believe the president had lied.
Before she became White House press secretary, McEnany praised Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that diseases like the coronavirus would not "come here." She also said that Democrats were trying to "politicize" the virus. The virus had already been in the United States for at least a month when she made these comments.
White House Press Secretary (2020–2021)
In April 2020, Kayleigh McEnany was hired as the White House press secretary. This was announced on April 8, 2020. She took over from Stephanie Grisham.
Two months into her job, the Associated Press wrote that McEnany was ready to defend President Trump's views. She also defended his statements, even if they were misstatements.
In April 2020, McEnany defended Trump's claim that the World Health Organization (WHO) favored China. She said the WHO put Americans at risk by repeating "inaccurate claims" from China. She also said they opposed U.S. travel restrictions.
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
On May 1, 2020, McEnany held her first public press briefing. An Associated Press reporter asked her if she would promise to never lie from the podium. McEnany replied, "I will never lie to you. You have my word on that." She also claimed that President Trump "always sided on the side of data" regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
In May 2020, McEnany defended Trump's claims about the dangers of vote by mail. She repeated his claims that voting by mail had a "high propensity for voter fraud." However, McEnany herself had voted by mail many times.
In June 2020, she defended the decision to remove peaceful protesters by force. This happened so Trump could take a photo in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square. She compared Trump's action to Winston Churchill walking through bomb damage during World War II.
On September 9, 2020, audio recordings of Trump were released. In these recordings, Trump admitted he intentionally downplayed the severity of the coronavirus. McEnany falsely stated, "The president never downplayed the virus." Trump had publicly downplayed the risk of the virus many times.
On October 5, 2020, McEnany tested positive for COVID-19. She had interacted with people who had the virus days before. She also spoke with the press without wearing a mask on several occasions before testing positive.
2020 Presidential Election and Aftermath
On election day, while votes were still being counted, McEnany falsely declared victory for Trump. After Joe Biden won the election, Trump refused to accept the results. McEnany spread false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
On November 20, 2020, McEnany falsely claimed Trump was not given an "orderly transition of power". In 2016, after Trump won, Hillary Clinton conceded. Then-President Barack Obama recognized Trump as president-elect. Trump himself thanked Obama for his help during the transition.
After the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, a journalist named Randall Lane warned companies against hiring McEnany or others who "lied for Trump."
Later Career
_(cropped).jpg)
On March 2, 2021, McEnany joined Fox News as an on-air contributor. She later became a co-host of Outnumbered. She hosts the show with Harris Faulkner and Emily Compagno.
In May and June 2023, she was an interim host for Fox News Tonight. This was after Tucker Carlson was fired.
Personal Life
Kayleigh McEnany married Sean Gilmartin in November 2017. He is a pitcher in Major League Baseball. They have three children. Their first child, a daughter, was born in November 2019. Their second child, a son, was born in December 2022. Their third child, a daughter named Avery Grace, was born in June 2025.
In 2018, McEnany had a preventive double mastectomy. This surgery was done because she had a high risk of developing breast cancer due to a BRCA mutation.
Images for kids
-
Official portrait, 2020
See also
In Spanish: Kayleigh McEnany para niños
