Karoline Leavitt Leaving White House Press Secretary Role to Focus on Family
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down from her position at the end of August, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, ending her historic tenure shortly after she returned from maternity leave following the birth of her second child.
Leavitt, 28, became the youngest White House press secretary in American history when Trump returned to office in January 2025. She also became the first person serving in the position to give birth while holding the demanding White House job.
Trump praised Leavitt as one of his most trusted aides and said she had been one of the best press secretaries in White House history. Although she is leaving her official position, Leavitt is not disappearing from Trump’s political operation.
The president announced that Leavitt will become one of his top outside advisers and remain an influential Republican voice as the party prepares for the midterm elections. Trump credited her with playing an important role in both his administration and his successful 2024 campaign.
Leavitt gave birth to her daughter Viviana in May and returned from maternity leave last month. She said that after returning to the White House, she increasingly felt she could not simultaneously devote the necessary attention to the press secretary position and be the mother she wanted to be for her two young children.
Leavitt described leaving the position as a bittersweet decision and called serving as Trump’s press secretary the “honor and adventure of a lifetime.” She also expressed pride in defending the administration’s accomplishments and challenging media coverage she believed unfairly targeted the president.
Her political relationship with Trump stretches back years. Leavitt served as an intern during Trump’s first administration before later working in the White House press operation. She unsuccessfully ran for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022 before becoming a prominent spokeswoman for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
During that campaign, Leavitt gave birth to her first child, Niko. She quickly returned to the political fight, becoming one of Trump’s most visible defenders during the final months of the campaign before being selected as White House press secretary following his victory.
As press secretary, Leavitt adopted an aggressive approach toward the traditional media while expanding access for independent journalists, podcasters and online influencers. Her briefings frequently featured combative exchanges with reporters, and she became one of the administration’s most recognizable public faces.
Leavitt made clear that leaving the White House does not mean leaving the MAGA movement. She pledged to remain a vocal advocate for Trump and the Republican Party while taking on a role that will allow her to spend more time with her family.
Trump has not yet announced who will replace Leavitt behind the White House briefing room podium. Her departure will leave the administration searching for a new public face, while Leavitt transitions from one of Trump’s most visible White House officials to an outside adviser helping Republicans heading into the midterms.