President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will depart her post at the end of the month, closing out a tenure that began at the start of his second term and made her the youngest person ever to hold the position. In a Truth Social post published at 2:34 p.m. on August 12, Trump said Leavitt would step away from the podium “so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family,” while transitioning into a role as one of his top outside advisors ahead of the midterm elections in November.
Trump’s Announcement
Trump opened his post by calling Leavitt “one of my most trusted aides” and confirmed she would be “departing her role at the end of the month.” He said the decision was one he “totally understand and respect,” directly tying it to her family. “Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role 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!” Trump wrote.
The president went on to outline what comes next for Leavitt, describing an expanded political role outside the West Wing. “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. He closed the post with a direct assessment of her time in the role, calling her tenure historic. “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,” Trump wrote. “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’s Response
Leavitt addressed her departure in her own social media statement, framing the decision around the demands of raising two young children while serving in one of the most visible and time-intensive jobs in Washington. “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,” Leavitt wrote.
She also confirmed the advisory arrangement Trump described, signaling she intends to remain politically active outside the administration. “President Trump has asked me to continue serving as a top advisor to him on the outside, and I will always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party,” Leavitt wrote.
A Historic Tenure
Leavitt, 28, has served as White House press secretary since Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, making her the 36th person to hold the office and the youngest in its history. She was 27 when she first took the podium. Before assuming the role, she served as national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and previously worked as an assistant White House press secretary during his first term.
Trump formally named Leavitt to the post in a statement from Mar-a-Lago on November 15, 2024, days after his election win, calling her “smart, tough” and someone who had “proven to be a highly effective communicator” during the campaign. She succeeded Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as press secretary under President Joe Biden.
First Pregnant Press Secretary in U.S. History
Leavitt’s departure comes months after she made history in a different respect, becoming the first sitting White House press secretary to be pregnant in office. She announced in December 2025 that she and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, were expecting their second child, a daughter, due in May 2026. Leavitt wrote in an Instagram post at the time that it was “the greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for — a baby girl coming in May 2026.”
Leavitt continued briefing reporters from the podium while visibly pregnant through a demanding stretch of news cycles that included Operation Epic Fury and other developments in the U.S.-Iran conflict, before beginning maternity leave in late April. Rather than naming a formal acting press secretary during her absence, the administration assembled a rotating cast of senior officials to brief the press in her place, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio making his debut in the Brady Press Briefing Room on May 5.
Her daughter, Viviana, nicknamed “Vivi,” was born May 1, 2026. Leavitt announced the birth on Instagram, writing that her newborn “is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister.” The couple’s first child, a son named Nicholas but nicknamed Niko, was born in July 2024. Leavitt returned to work within a week of his birth, on the day of Thomas Crooks’s attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. She married Riccio in January 2025, days before Trump’s second inauguration.
Return to the Podium
Leavitt returned to the White House press briefing room after her maternity leave, resuming her role as the administration’s chief spokesperson during a period marked by continued fallout from the Iran conflict, foreign policy developments including a U.S.-Saudi nuclear discussion, and domestic political battles heading into the midterm cycle. She was photographed speaking with reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room as recently as July 23, 2026, roughly three weeks before Trump’s announcement of her departure.
What Comes Next
As of Wednesday, the White House had not named a successor to Leavitt, nor indicated who would serve in an interim capacity once she departs at the end of August. Trump’s announcement did not include additional detail on the timeline for a replacement or on the scope of Leavitt’s new advisory role within the Republican Party.
Leavitt’s exit adds to a series of personnel moves inside the Trump administration this summer, including the recent swearing-in of Todd Blanche as attorney general and Trump’s selection of staff secretary Will Scharf to serve as the next White House counsel.
Background
Leavitt was born August 24, 1997, in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and graduated from Saint Anselm College. Before joining Trump’s political operation, she ran unsuccessfully for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st District in 2022, winning a competitive Republican primary before losing to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in the general election. She later served as a spokeswoman for MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, ahead of joining his 2024 campaign as national press secretary.
Her time at the podium spanned some of the most closely watched stretches of Trump’s second term, including the administration’s messaging around Operation Epic Fury, the congressional War Powers Resolution votes, and a wide range of domestic and foreign policy rollouts. Trump’s Wednesday statement credited that record directly, crediting Leavitt with helping “defy History” politically as the party looks toward the midterms.