White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her high-profile position at the end of August to devote more time to her young children and family, President Donald Trump has announced.
At 28, Leavitt made history as the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary and became the first person to openly navigate pregnancy while holding the position.
Despite leaving the post, she is expected to remain close to Trump as an outside adviser and continue to play an influential role in the Republican Party.
Key
Points
- Karoline Leavitt will leave the White House press
secretary position at the end of August.
- President Donald Trump described her as one of his most
trusted aides and praised her performance.
- Leavitt, 28, became the youngest White House press
secretary in history in January 2025.
- She became the first White House press secretary to
openly experience pregnancy while holding the job.
- She will continue advising Trump from outside the White
House.
- Leavitt said her decision was driven by her desire to
be a better mother to her two young children.
Trump announced Leavitt's departure
in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying she wanted to spend more time
with her “beautiful young children and family,” a decision he said he
understood and respected.
Trump also said Leavitt would become
one of his top outside advisers as his administration prepares for the midterm
elections. He praised her work in the White House and described her as one of
the best press secretaries in the history of the office.
Leavitt, meanwhile, said on X that
her “past year and a half” in the White House had been the “honor and adventure
of a lifetime.” She expressed gratitude to Trump for giving her the opportunity
to work in the West Wing, spend time in the Oval Office, travel internationally
and meet foreign leaders and Americans across the United States.
She said balancing the demanding press secretary role with motherhood had been both challenging and rewarding. However, following the birth of her daughter in May, Leavitt said she realized she could not give her two young children the time and attention they deserved while continuing in one of the most demanding jobs in the world.
“I have felt in my heart that I cannot
be the best mom my two young children deserve,” she said, explaining the
decision to leave the position.
Leavitt gave birth to her daughter,
Viviana, on May 1. She and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60, also have a
two-year-old son, Niko. She returned to the White House on July 16 after
several months of maternity leave.
Her pregnancy itself marked a
milestone in White House history. After announcing in December that she was
expecting another child, Leavitt became the first White House press secretary
to openly navigate pregnancy while serving in the position.
Leavitt assumed the post in January
2025 at the age of 27, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the job. She
had previously worked in Trump's White House press office during his first
administration and later served as a spokesperson for his 2024 presidential
campaign.
She was the only person to serve as
Trump's press secretary during his second term. During Trump's first
presidency, the position was held successively by Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee
Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany.
Although her tenure at the White
House podium is coming to an end, Leavitt has made clear that her political
career is not. She said Trump had asked her to continue serving as a top
adviser from outside the administration and vowed to remain a vocal supporter
of the Republican Party and the MAGA movement.
“My fight is entering a new phase,
but it is far from over,” Leavitt said.
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