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Karoline Leavitt to step down as White House Press Secretary
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her job, President Trump announced Wednesday.
Trump shared the news in a post on Truth Social.
Karoline Leavitt leaving White House
What we know:
Trump said Leavitt will leave 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!"
What we don't know:
It's unclear who will replace her.
What they're saying:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., United States, on July 23, 2026. (Photo by Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"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 wrote. "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. Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!"
Leavitt released her own lengthy statement shortly after Trump announced the news.
"Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime," she said on X. "I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for granting me so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours in the Oval Office, flying around the world and meeting foreign leaders, and traveling across our beautiful country and meeting Americans from all walks of life.
Most of all, I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium."
"Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least," she continued. "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 the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life."
The backstory:
At age 27, Leavitt became the youngest person ever to be named White House press secretary when she started the job in 2025. She’s the sixth working mother in a row to hold the post.
RELATED: Who is Karoline Leavitt? Youngest White House press secretary
Leavitt was national spokesperson for Trump’s 2024 campaign, traveling and aggressively promoting his policies and defending him during frequent TV appearances. She did the same during the transition after Trump was reelected, and has continued as press secretary.
Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, attended Saint Anselm College, a liberal arts school in Manchester, New Hampshire, on an athletic scholarship. She played on the softball team and graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in politics and communication, the first in her immediate family to earn a college degree.
She gave birth to her first child, a boy named Nicholas, three days before Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July 2024. She quickly returned to work.
She welcomed her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May.
The Source: This report includes information from President Trump's Truth Social account and The Associated Press.