Lawrence Ari Fleischer was born and raised in Pound Ridge, New York, as the son of an executive recruiter father and a mother who worked in computer programming at IBM. He attended Fox Lane High School, where he served as class president for two years. Initially identifying as a liberal Democrat, Fleischer switched to the Republican Party during his time at Middlebury College, from which he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. His early career included roles as press secretary to Jon Fossel in 1982, Congressman Norman Lent, and staffer for U.S. Senator Pete Domenici. He later served as deputy communications director for President George H. W. Bush's 1992 campaign, ran a lobbying firm from 1992 to 1994, acted as press secretary for the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee from 1994 to 1999, and was communications director for Elizabeth Dole's 1999 presidential campaign. Fleischer served as White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003 and is a current member of the Republican Jewish Coalition's Board of Directors. After his White House tenure, he founded Ari Fleischer Communications in Washington, DC, in 2004, offering media management, strategy, training, and advice to corporations, sports organizations, and executives through its sports division as well. He has appeared as a contributor on FOX News programs such as Cavuto on Business and is a sought-after keynote speaker on media and political affairs, maintaining an active professional presence with his firm emphasizing handling press interactions from government to business contexts.