Karoline Leavitt to step down as White House press secretary at end of August
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Aug. 12, 2026, 3:47 PM EDT / Updated Aug. 12, 2026, 4:17 PM EDT
By Raquel Coronell Uribe
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will be leaving the administration at the end of the month, after serving in the role since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term
Trump on Wednesday announced that Leavitt, 28, the youngest White House press secretary, is set to step down to “spend more time with her beautiful young children and family.”
“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 on Truth Social
Leavitt, who gave birth to her second child in May, making her the first White House press secretary to have a child while serving in the role, confirmed her departure in a statement on X
She said that being called press secretary has been “the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” adding that since having her second child, she “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.”
“I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium,” said Leavitt, who is one of only eight women to have served in the role
Leavitt was an assistant White House press secretary during Trump’s first term. She later became national press secretary during his 2024 presidential campaign
In between Trump’s two terms, Leavitt made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. She ran for a House seat in New Hampshire in 2022 and lost to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas
Neither Trump nor Leavitt indicated in their social media posts who might be named the next White House press secretary
