Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person ever to hold the high-profile post, said she was leaving the demanding White House job to spend more time with her two children.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of August, but will continue working with President Donald Trump as an outside adviser. Leavitt, the youngest person ever to hold the high-profile post, said she was leaving the demanding White House job to spend more time with her two children.
During her 18 months in office, Leavitt, 28, earned a reputation as a staunch Trump loyalist, while also becoming known for fiery clashes with reporters during White House briefings.
She gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in May and had recently returned to the White House following maternity leave.
In a post on X, Leavitt, a fierce Trump backer, described her time as Press Secretary as “the honour and adventure of a lifetime” but said balancing motherhood with one of the administration’s most demanding jobs had become increasingly difficult.
She said that after returning to work following her daughter’s birth, she realised she could not be the mother she wanted to be while continuing to devote the “constant time, energy and attention” the Press Secretary’s job requires.
Leavitt is expected to remain involved in Trump’s political operation after leaving the White House, serving as an outside communications adviser and continuing to work with the broader “Make America Great Again” movement.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Leavitt’s performance, describing her as “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office”. He said she had been a leader in his administration and had played an important role in his 2024 re-election campaign.
“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 said.
YOUNGEST PRESS SECRETARY
Leavitt joined Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and later served as its transition spokesperson before being chosen to lead the White House press operation. At 26, she became the youngest person ever appointed White House press secretary when she took office in January 2025.
Her tenure coincided with a significant overhaul of the White House’s relationship with the news media. Working alongside White House communications director Steven Cheung, Leavitt helped implement changes that gave the administration greater control over which journalists received access to the president.
The White House also moved away from the traditional system in which the White House Correspondents’ Association determined the rotating press pool. The administration instead gave greater access to podcasts, newsletters and newer digital outlets, creating a dedicated “new media” seat in the briefing room.
Trump’s supporters welcomed the changes as an adaptation to a changing media environment, while press freedom advocates argued that the new system could allow the administration to favour outlets that offered more sympathetic coverage.
Leavitt’s departure comes as the administration faces scrutiny over a reported security operation during Trump’s visit to a NATO summit in Turkey in July.
The Washington Post reported this week that the Secret Service moved Trump between aircraft in a catering truck while journalists and staff remained aboard another plane, amid concerns about a possible Iranian assassination threat.
The reported move represented a break from the usual practice of ensuring that journalists travelling with the president are aware of his movements.
With Reuters inputs
