WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is departing her post at the end of August to spend more time with her family, President Trump announced.
Leavitt, 28, a mother of two and the youngest ever White House press secretary, gave birth to her second child, Viviana, in May and had officially just returned from maternity leave last month.
Trump, 80, hailed her as “one of my most trusted aides.”
“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024,” he added.
“Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”
Leavitt had served as an intern in the first Trump administration, then ran unsuccessfully for a House seat in New Hampshire during the 2022 midterm elections, before joining Trump’s 2024 campaign.
During that campaign, she gave birth to her first child, Niko. Three days later, Trump was shot at and nearly assassinated during his rally in Butler, Pa.
She is the first White House press secretary to give birth to a young child while holding the role, which is notorious for burnout. Most recent White House press secretaries lasted from between a year and a half to almost three years.
Trump had four different press secretaries during his first administration.
Leavitt called her time in the role “the honor and adventure of a lifetime” and expressed gratitude to Trump.
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“I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes,” she said in a statement.
“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.”
She vowed to “always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party” and warned that the “country is facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party.”
Leavitt led a more aggressive and combative press strategy against the media compared to the first Trump administration, where she often reprimanded certain outlets for their coverage of the president.
She also established a new media seat in the White House press briefing room, where independent journalists, podcasters, and even influencers could rotate in and ask questions during press conferences.
The president has long heaped praise on Leavitt, having previously called her a “star” and saying, “I don’t think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline.”
