Anna Kelly is an American political communications professional serving as White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary since February 2026. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, she is a United States national whose career has centered on Republican Party messaging, campaign work, and administration communications.
Her path has taken her from university studies and a state pageant title to roles supporting presidential campaigns, state party operations, and the national Republican apparatus before joining the second Trump administration.
Anna Kelly Early Life
Anna Kelly was born in 1996 in Fairfax, Virginia. Fairfax sits in Northern Virginia, a short distance from Washington, D.C., in a region shaped by federal government activity, suburban growth, and a mix of professional and political families. She has described her household as politically outspoken. Her father worked as a mortgage loan officer and her mother as a businesswoman. Growing up near the nation’s capital exposed her early to political discussion and civic interest.
As a teenager she began practical involvement. In 2012, while still in her mid teens, she worked as a campaign intern for a local Virginia Republican Committee. That early experience aligned with an interest in youth participation in politics that later appeared in her public statements.
She enrolled at Auburn University in Alabama in 2014. There she studied political science and completed a minor in community and civic engagement. She graduated in 2017. Reports indicate she was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority during her time on campus. In her senior year she applied for a White House internship in the first Trump administration, showing an early focus on national Republican politics.
After Auburn she pursued graduate study at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., earning a master’s degree in political management. The program emphasized practical skills in campaigns, messaging, and political strategy. Her studies overlapped with public activities that raised her profile beyond campus.
Anna Kelly Pageant Experience and Public Platform
While completing her graduate work, Kelly competed in and won the Miss State Fair of Virginia title in 2019. She was crowned on September 22, 2018, for the 2019 title year at age 22. The pageant is connected to the State Fair of Virginia and carries scholarship and appearance opportunities. She used the platform titled “End the Apathy Epidemic: Promoting Youth Political Engagement.”
In interviews at the time she stated that her generation stands in an incredible position of power and that young people should step up in a polarized climate to help shape the government they receive. She aimed to show that young people have a voice and should use it. During competitions she performed songs including hits associated with Aretha Franklin and Jennifer Holliday’s “I Am Changing.” She later noted competing at the state level alongside two eventual Miss Americas.
The pageant work provided public speaking practice and visibility. It also reinforced the civic engagement theme that had appeared in her university minor and early internships. She later won the Miss Madison title in Wisconsin, extending that public role while her political career developed in the Midwest.
Anna Kelly Career
Campaign and State Party Roles
By May 2020 Kelly was working as a spokesperson for Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign in Wisconsin. After the election she became communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, serving from January 2021 to August 2022. In that position she handled messaging, media relations, and party communications in a key battleground state.
In October 2022 she served as a spokesperson for Tim Michels, the Republican candidate in the Wisconsin gubernatorial election. The following year, by July 2023, she worked as a spokesperson and communications director for Wisconsin Representative Derrick Van Orden. In that congressional role she managed press strategy and defended the member during public controversies, including an incident involving language directed at visitors to the Capitol.
National Republican National Committee Work
By January 2024 Kelly had advanced to national press secretary for the Republican National Committee. The position placed her at the center of national party messaging during the 2024 election cycle. She coordinated press responses, defended Republican positions, and supported the party’s communications apparatus. After Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election she joined his presidential transition as a spokesperson, helping shape early messaging for the incoming administration.
White House Service
On January 25, 2025, President Trump named Kelly a White House deputy press secretary. She began service in the Office of the Press Secretary under Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. By February 2026 she had been elevated to principal deputy press secretary, succeeding Harrison Fields in that role. In this capacity she assists the press secretary, participates in briefings and rapid response, and represents administration positions on policy matters including immigration enforcement and other priorities.
She has accompanied the president on official travel, including a visit to China in May. When Leavitt announced plans to resign, Kelly was among those publicly discussed as a potential successor. She has spoken about the pace of White House work, describing it as fast paced and rewarding, and has emphasized correcting what she views as prior policy mistakes while advancing the administration’s agenda. She maintains an active presence on social media under the handle associated with her official role, sharing administration updates and personal interests.
Her career progression follows a recognizable path in modern Republican communications: state level campaign and party work, congressional support, national party leadership, transition service, and White House appointment. At a relatively young age she has held consecutive positions of increasing visibility and responsibility.
Anna Kelly Personal Life
Public details about Kelly’s private life remain limited. She has not publicly disclosed information about marriage or children. She has expressed interest in dogs and shares photos of her pets on social media. Singing remains a noted talent from her pageant years. She continues to live and work in the Washington, D.C., area, consistent with her professional roles.
Her early description of a politically outspoken family environment appears to have shaped long term interests in civic participation and Republican politics. Beyond that, she has kept personal matters largely out of public view while focusing on professional communications work.
Anna Kelly Public Presence and Style
Kelly’s public style combines formal political messaging with the poise developed through pageant competition and university training. She has appeared in media interviews discussing administration priorities such as tariffs, trade, government efficiency, and student visa policies. Colleagues and observers have noted her rapid rise and loyalty to Trump aligned positions. Some commentary has described her as energetic and direct in defending administration views.
She has used social media both for official rapid response and for lighter personal posts, including updates about pets. This mix of professional duty and approachable personal sharing is common among younger political communicators in the digital era.
Conclusion
Anna Kelly’s biography reflects a focused trajectory from a Northern Virginia upbringing through university study, a public pageant platform centered on youth engagement, and successive roles in Republican communications. From Wisconsin campaign work and state party leadership to national RNC service and the White House press office, she has built experience in messaging, media relations, and administration advocacy. As principal deputy press secretary she continues to operate at the center of executive branch communications in the second Trump administration. Her story illustrates how early civic interest, combined with practical campaign experience and formal political training, can lead to high level government roles.
FAQs
Who is Anna Kelly?
Anna Kelly is an American political spokesperson who has served as White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary since February 2026. She previously held communications roles with the Republican National Committee, Wisconsin Republican organizations, and congressional and campaign staffs.
Where was Anna Kelly born?
Anna Kelly was born in Fairfax, Virginia, in the United States.
What is Anna Kelly’s educational background?
She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Auburn University in 2017, with a minor in community and civic engagement, and a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University.
Did Anna Kelly compete in beauty pageants?
Yes. She won the Miss State Fair of Virginia title for 2019 and later the Miss Madison title in Wisconsin. Her pageant platform focused on promoting youth political engagement.
What positions has Anna Kelly held in politics?
Her roles have included spokesperson for the 2020 Trump campaign in Wisconsin, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, spokesperson for Tim Michels’s gubernatorial campaign, communications director for Representative Derrick Van Orden, national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, transition spokesperson, White House deputy press secretary, and principal deputy press secretary.
Is information available about Anna Kelly’s family or personal life?
Public records and interviews provide limited personal details. She has described her family as politically outspoken. Specifics about marital status or children have not been widely disclosed. She has shared interest in dogs on social media.
What is Anna Kelly’s current role?
As of 2026 she serves as White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary in the Trump administration, assisting with press briefings, rapid response, and administration messaging.