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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.
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Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, has recently revealed that she is expecting her second child. With the arrival of her baby girl due in May, it appears that Leavitt will soon be stepping away from her role to take maternity leave.
This news has sparked widespread speculation about who might step in for her during her time off, with some familiar faces emerging as potential replacements.
As reported by The Mirror, among the names circulating is Anna Kelly, a former beauty queen and current Assistant Press Secretary in the Trump administration.
Kelly has a strong political background, having worked on various Republican campaigns and in communications for lawmakers and state party groups. Her experience makes her a strong candidate to fill Leavitt's shoes while she takes time off for her growing family.
Anna Kelly, a Fairfax, Virginia native, is a graduate of Auburn University, where she studied political science and was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority. In 2017, she earned her degree, which was followed by a Masters in Political Management from George Washington University. In addition to her political expertise, Kelly's previous experience as a beauty queen adds another layer of intrigue to her profile.
In 2019, Kelly won the Miss State Fair of Virginia title, which showcases her confidence and public speaking abilities - skills that could easily translate into her role as an interim press secretary. With her professional experience and public persona, she has quickly become one of the leading contenders to temporarily replace Karoline Leavitt.
While Kelly may be the frontrunner, she is not the only name mentioned in connection with Leavitt's role. Other possible candidates include Taylor Rogers, Liz Huston, and Kush Desai. All of these individuals are well-versed in communications and have held significant roles in the Trump administration.
As speculation grows, many are eagerly awaiting confirmation on who will step in for Leavitt, as her brief maternity leave approaches. Whoever takes over will have big shoes to fill, but Anna Kelly’s unique combination of political savvy and public experience could make her a suitable candidate for the job.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is reportedly under some serious strain because of her job working for President Donald Trump, as people have been studying her social media output.
Leavitt, 28, seemed to share more than usual on her social media accounts in a recent post, which has people wondering whether she is OK.
Having Donald Trump as a boss must be stressful at the best of times, but right now things are all over the place.
He’s currently embroiled in the all-encompassing Epstein debate, as well as promising most people in the USA $2,000, and calling reporters names on Air Force One.
There’s never a dull moment in Karoline Leavitt’s role as White House press secretary.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty
However, Leavitt is always put out there to defend her boss, whatever situation he might be in - from the fallout from the death of Charlie Kirk to some of the - shall we say - stranger allegations involving stories about Bill Clinton.
Still Leavitt keeps busy outside of work too, spending time with her family including her husband Nicolas Riccio and their baby son born in 2024.
Recently, she shared a number of stories on Instagram that got a few tongues wagging.
First off, she shared some harmless snaps from a recent trip to Palm Beach, writing about how ‘the ocean is [her] happy place’.
After sharing a few more pics from her swanky getaway with her husband, including her breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel, she then took a more personal turn.
Leavitt shared a picture from the Bible, sharing the underlined quote ‘for when I am weak, then I am strong’.
She then shared another quote that read: "What a privilege it is to have your bed taken up by a small human who thinks it's the safest place in the world to be.”
Over that image, Leavitt wrote "crying".
Speaking to Mirror US, clinical psychologist Christine Schneider of the Cambridge Therapy Center gave her own take on how Leavitt might be coping.
She said: "Working as a Press Secretary means living under constant pressure. Every word, every facial expression, and every pause is dissected by the media and the public.
"That level of exposure can be incredibly demanding mentally."
"Someone in Karoline Leavitt’s position likely faces chronic stress, anxiety around public performance, and exhaustion from the nonstop pace of her role.
"There’s often a need to stay composed no matter what’s happening behind the scenes, and that emotional control, while impressive, can come at a cost."
Schneider continued: "It’s what psychologists sometimes refer to as emotional labor: the effort of managing one’s feelings to maintain a professional image.
"Over time, it can lead to burnout, irritability, and difficulty switching off after work.”
If you will work for (presumably) the most stressful man in the world - as well as one of the most powerful - you might end up feeling a bit frazzled yourself at times.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has revealed she's expecting her second child, and gave a very strange shoutout to her boss, Donald Trump, as part of the big reveal.
Leavitt, 28, took to Instagram to share that she and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 59, are expecting a baby girl in May 2026.
Alongside festive photos featuring Leavitt, a growing baby bump, and a shirt that read “Baby sis,” she wrote: “The greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for - baby girl coming in May 2026.”
In a follow-up snap, Leavitt included her husband holding their one-year-old son, Niko, next to a Christmas tree.
She captioned the moment with: “My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.”
And in a move few saw coming, Leavitt pivoted from heartfelt to political, writing: “I am also extremely grateful to President Trump and our Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for their support, and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House.”
She ended the post on a high note, declaring: “2026 is going to be a great year and I am so excited to be a girl mom!”
Leavitt made history as the youngest person to ever serve as White House press secretary.
She gave birth to her son in July 2024 while working on Trump’s campaign - just days before an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The chaotic moment led the 28-year-old to cut her maternity leave short and return to work earlier than expected.
She later spoke to The Christian Broadcasting Network about the emotional toll of juggling the intense demands of the White House and parenting.
"I think every working mother understands the demands. And no matter where you are, what you’re doing, there is a sense of guilt," she said. "But I spend every second that I possibly can with my son when I’m home on weekends and evenings."
Throughout the 2024 campaign, Leavitt made it work with baby Niko by her side - literally. She initially worked from home, telling the Post Run High podcast: "I was able to easily go downstairs and do a quick TV hit and then, of course, attend to my child."
Once back in the office, she brought her son with her, adding, “He was always with me throughout the entire duration of the campaign and just made it work."
Leavitt’s son has become a familiar face on her social media, appearing in everything from beach trips in New Hampshire to posing with a live turkey at the White House and dressing up in a pumpkin costume for Halloween.
Speaking to Megyn Kelly, the press secretary praised her husband for being a rock of support: “He’s fully supportive of me building my success in my career...Becoming a mother in the midst of this very chaotic political world that I work in has been the best thing I could ever imagine because it gives you great perspective.”
According to the White House, Leavitt will continue in her role after giving birth to her daughter, though no specifics about maternity leave were provided, per the New York Times.
The Special Assistant to President Donald Trump, who also happens to be the White House Communications Advisor, could take over from Karoline Leavitt in the coming weeks.
An expert has claimed that Margo Martin is in pole position to become the interim White House Press Secretary, partly due to her close relationship with Trump.
The 79-year-old once described Martin as "the most beautiful photographer in the world," as she has worked alongside him over the course of his two terms in office.
Leavitt is out of the office for the foreseeable future, having taken maternity leave at the end of April and welcoming her daughter, Viviana, to the world on May 1, her second child with husband Nicolas Riccio, 60.
Martin has firmly been in the spotlight after appearing regularly during Trump's highly publicised state trip to China, and she may be Trump's new press officer, even if the responsibilities are currently being shared by JD Vance and other cabinet members.
Martin, 30, currently works as a special assistant to the president and a communications advisor to the White House.
But before this, she was also a part of Trump's first administration and became his press secretary when he left the White House in 2021.
Today, Martin primarily helps Trump with his social media accounts, whether that be to a fault, and helps to catch behind-the-scenes content from political events.
Having been seen with the President a lot more than normal, many have mistaken her for the First Lady, Melania Trump, due to their similar appearances.
Martin has become a popular figure in recent weeks, so it's only natural that people have started asking about her future and whether she could replace Leavitt, 28.
Speaking to The Mirror US, Andy Barr from Season One Communications believes that Martin's "next logical step" is to move into Leavitt's role, even if it's only temporary.
She could "take it," if the communications expert is to be believed, as he explained: "The next logical step for Martin would be to temporarily take Leavitt's high-pressure, high-profile role," adding that it could even propel her into running for office when the time comes."
Barr continued: "Right now, Martin is rising in the Trump ranks, receiving plaudits from media and voters alike, and is 100% a PR person's dream to work with.
"Being a very vocal Trump loyalist always pays off, and Margo Martin has earned her position via her years of dedicated service to him."
David Johnson, the CEO at Strategic Vision PR Group, seemingly agreed with Barr, telling the publication: "More than anything, I see her as trying to position herself for White House Press Secretary if Leavitt leaves for some reason."
Johnson also explained that he doesn't see Martin going into elected politics, claiming that she would rather stay in communications.
He added: "While Margo Martin has been in the news since the China trip and generated a lot of coverage about herself, it is hard to see her making the jump from her role to running for office.
"She has been more of a communications person throughout her time with Trump, dating back to 2019, during his first term, his PAC, and now back at the White House," he concluded.
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