White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave the Trump administration at the end of August, ending an 19-month tenure as the public face of President Donald Trump’s White House.
Trump announced Leavitt’s departure on Wednesday, saying the 28-year-old press secretary would step down to spend more time with her young children and family. He also said she would remain one of his top outside advisers and continue to play an influential role in the Republican Party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Leavitt confirmed the decision, saying the demands of the press secretary’s office had made it difficult for her to give her two young children the attention she believes they deserve.
She gave birth to her second child in May and returned to the White House briefing room on July 16 after maternity leave. Her return made her the first White House press secretary to have a child while serving in the position.
“The honor and adventure of a lifetime” is how Leavitt described serving as press secretary, while acknowledging that balancing the job with motherhood had become increasingly difficult.
Leavitt made history when Trump appointed her in January 2025 as the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary. Before taking the job, she had worked as an assistant White House press secretary during Trump’s first administration and later served as his national press secretary during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Her tenure was characterised by an unusually combative relationship with the White House press corps and a strong defence of Trump’s policies and political agenda. At just over 18 months, Leavitt’s tenure is expected to be the second-longest of Trump’s press secretaries. Sarah Huckabee Sanders served for nearly two years during Trump’s first term, while Sean Spicer, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany each served for less than a year.
