White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave the Trump administration at the end of the month to spend more time with her young family.

Leavitt, 28, called it a “bittersweet decision” in a social media post Wednesday shortly after President Donald Trump announced she would be stepping down. She recently returned to the White House podium after the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May. She also has a 2-year-old son.

“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.

Trump did not outline plans for who might replace her in the high-profile role. He said in a social media post of his own that her decision to leave is one “I totally understand and respect!” and indicated she would continue to play a role in his orbit.

“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,” the president wrote.

Leavitt worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing the general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

During Trump’s first term in office, Leavitt worked as an aide in the White House press office. She then became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Leavitt briefed from the White House press room less frequently than some of her recent predecessors. Trump, who regularly engages with reporters during White House events and during his travels, primarily deployed Leavitt to Fox News and other conservative news outlets to trumpet his agenda and take shots at Democrats and the mainstream media.

Trump’s first-term press secretaries included Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who were known for quarreling with reporters. Another, Stephanie Grisham, never held a briefing. Her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, often lectured the news media during her appearances in the press briefing room.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt points to a reporter to ask a question in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, March 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, July 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt glances at President Donald Trump before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, File)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – President Donald Trump attends the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, at the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC, July 24, 2026, in Washington, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and her husband Nicholas Riccio arrive at The Mar-a-Lago Club, Feb. 1, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., to attend the wedding of White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Erin Elmore, the director of Art in Embassies at the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the Trump administration | iNFOnews.ca
FILE – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt watches as President Donald Trump speak to reporters while in flight on Air Force One to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

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