Beni Rae Harmony, 24, has been named the new assistant press secretary for President Donald Trump. The appointment follows the departure of former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and comes as part of a broader White House communications reshuffle. Harmony will join the White House press team after a career in conservative media.
Harmony previously worked as a reporter for Real America’s Voice, a far‑right broadcaster that airs Steve Bannon’s show and hosts the Charlie Kirk Show. The Independent reported that a 2021 photo of her holding a rifle while wearing a T‑shirt that read “f*** Joe Biden” was shared by former Virginia congressional candidate Jarome Bell. Anti‑MAGA accounts on Instagram quickly highlighted the image after the announcement.
She was suspended from her former position at WICS‑ABC20 in Springfield, Illinois, after an unprompted on‑air tribute to Charlie Kirk following his 2025 assassination. Harmony defended the memorial as “non‑partisan.” Her LinkedIn profile lists internships with Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar and former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, and a stint with Turning Point USA in 2020‑21, where she described Kirk as a mentor.
White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly confirmed the hire, saying Harmony has been a “trusted voice for the MAGA movement” and will be an “outstanding addition” to the communications team. Harmony posted that she is grateful for the opportunity and that her goal is to ask questions that matter to real Americans.
