Karoline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretary at the end of August. President Trump announced the departure in a social media post, calling her one of his "most trusted aides" and saying her decision to leave was one he "totally understand[s] and respect[s]."
Leavitt, 28, took the job at the start of Trump's second term, becoming the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary. She returned to work last month after taking maternity leave following the birth of her daughter in May. She also has a two-year-old son.
In a post on X following Trump's announcement, Leavitt wrote that her job had been "the honor and adventure of a lifetime." She explained that her decision came down to the impossibility of doing both jobs at full capacity. "The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary - and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life," she wrote.
Trump said in his post that Leavitt would remain connected to the administration in a different capacity. "Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party," he wrote. It was not immediately clear who will replace her in the briefing room.
Before taking the press secretary job, Leavitt had spent years inside Trump's orbit. She served as an assistant press secretary and speechwriter during his first term. She later became communications director for New York Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a contested Republican primary before losing to Democrat Chris Pappas in the general election. She then became a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump fundraising group, before joining his 2024 campaign as national press secretary.
Her tenure at the podium was sometimes contentious. She had a combative relationship with parts of the press corps and accused certain reporters of being biased or left-wing. In February of last year, her office seized control of the White House press pool, stripping organizational duties from the White House Correspondents' Association. The Associated Press was also initially barred from the briefing room over its refusal to use the term "Gulf of America."
Among Trump supporters, she was widely praised for staying on message and defending the president's positions aggressively. No date for a final briefing or announcement of a replacement has been made public.
