White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to Leave Administration at Month's End

Karoline Leavitt will exit the role of White House press secretary at the end of the month, ending a tenure that began with the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. The 28-year-old announced her departure on X, saying the position had been "the honor and adventure of a lifetime" but that she could not "be the best mom" to her two young children while meeting the job’s demands. Leavitt gave birth to her second child in May, becoming the first press secretary to have a child while serving in the position.

President Trump posted on Truth Social that Leavitt would become one of his top outside advisors and an influential voice within the Republican Party as the administration prepares for the midterm elections. He did not identify a successor, and neither Leavitt nor the White House named an interim press secretary during her recent maternity leave, relying on other officials such as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to brief the media.

Leavitt, who previously served as an assistant press secretary during Trump’s first term and as national press secretary for his 2024 campaign, returned to the podium on July 16 after a brief maternity leave. She expressed gratitude to the president for the opportunity to speak on his behalf. Her 18-month tenure is the second-longest for a Trump-era press secretary, surpassed only by Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ nearly two-year service in the first administration.

Leavitt’s departure follows the exits of several other senior women in the Trump administration this year, including the attorney general and heads of homeland security, labor, and intelligence. She previously ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in New Hampshire in 2022.