US3 min(s) read
Published 20:38 12 Aug 2026 GMT
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her role at the end of this month, saying she cannot be the mother she wants to be while doing one of the most demanding jobs in American politics.
Trump announced the departure on Truth Social this afternoon, calling Leavitt 'one of my most trusted aides' and saying the decision was about family.
"Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!" he wrote.
He added that she had been 'one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office'.
Leavitt posted her own statement on X shortly after Trump's announcement. It was longer and more personal than anything she has shared publicly since taking the job.
"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," she wrote.
She called it a 'bittersweet decision' and said the past year and a half had been the experience of a lifetime.
She gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in May. She went on maternity leave the same month and returned to the briefing room podium in July. Less than six weeks later, she is leaving.
Leavitt is 28 years old, from Atkinson, New Hampshire. She graduated from Saint Anselm College and began working for Trump in 2018 during his first term as an assistant press secretary.
She went on to serve as national press secretary for his 2024 campaign. After the election, she was named White House press secretary in November 2024. She was the youngest person to hold the role in American history.
She was also the first woman to serve as press secretary while pregnant, announcing her second pregnancy after she was already in the job.
She is married to Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer. They have two children.
She became known for a combative approach at the lectern, regularly sparring with the White House press corps in a style that Trump clearly valued.
She was the only person to hold the role during his second term. In his first term, he went through four: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, and Kayleigh McEnany.
Leavitt will stay until the end of August. After that, she moves to an outside advisory role, working with the Republican Party on the midterm elections in November.
Trump framed it as a promotion: "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."
No successor has been named. During Leavitt's maternity leave earlier this summer, press briefings became less frequent and the White House filled the gap by putting VP JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio behind the lectern instead, with mixed results.
The departure leaves Trump without a press secretary less than three months before the midterms, which is either a problem or an opportunity to install someone new depending on how you look at it.
Leavitt turns 29 on August 24, six days before her last day in the job.
