Senior White House spokesperson to move to Office of Director of National Intelligence

White House senior deputy press secretary Kush Desai is leaving the West Wing for a senior communications role at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

The White House spokesperson will become assistant director of national intelligence for strategic communications and is leaving next month, Desai told NewsNation. He is helping search for his replacement at the White House as he prepares to make the move, according to Axios.

He had reportedly been discussing a move to the ODNI since new Director Jay Clayton’s confirmation in early August, who took over the agency following former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation.

Desai has been a key spokesperson on economic and domestic policy in the administration, fielding questions on tariffs, inflation, prescription drug prices and the Federal Reserve.

He joined the White House at the start of President Trump’s second term as a deputy press secretary after working for the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Desai had served as the RNC’s deputy battleground states and Pennsylvania communications director, as well as communications director for Iowa’s Republican Party.

He later rose to senior deputy press secretary and special assistant to the president.

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Desai, calling him “one of the smartest and hardest working people I’ve met in Washington,” according to Axios.

The move comes less than two months after Clayton took over as director of national intelligence following Gabbard’s tumultuous tenure.

The new position puts Desai in charge of strategic communications at the agency responsible for coordinating the nation’s intelligence community.