President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on social media that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down from her position at the end of August.
“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!” President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump added that Leavitt will now serve as a “top outside adviser” and be “an influential voice within the Republican Party” ahead of the midterms.
“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,” said Trump. “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”
At 28, Leavitt is the youngest White House press secretary in United States history.
Leavitt studied communications and political science at Saint Anselm College, a Catholic institution in her home state of New Hampshire, where she was active with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
While a student, Leavitt interned at Fox News during the 2016 election cycle. After graduating, she worked for President Donald Trump (R) under then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
After leaving the White House, Leavitt served as Director of Communications for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
Leavitt ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, seeking to represent New Hampshire’s First Congressional District in Washington, D.C.
Although she lost the general election, Leavitt made a strong showing, earning 45.9 percent of the vote against incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas (D) and falling just over 25,000 votes short of winning the seat.
Leavitt also briefly filled in as host of the Grace Curley Show in 2023.
She later rejoined Trump’s team as campaign spokesperson during the 2024 presidential election. Most recently before this, Leavitt served as spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team.
[RELATED: As America’s Youngest Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt of NH Holds First White House Briefing]
“Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” Leavitt said in a statement posted to X.
“Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least,” Leavitt said, in part.
“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,” she said.
“Our country is facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party that seeks to destroy everything great about America,” Leavitt added, “and I believe it is incumbent upon all of us who care about this country to fight back against that threat. My fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over.”
Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime. I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for granting me so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours… — Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) August 12, 2026
She did an outstanding job . We will miss her .
Maybe she’ll go back to a part time gig with Howie Carr . That would be cool .
A real professional and the complete opposite of that idiot that worked for Cabbage Head Biden .
i’d like to see her make another run for Congress.
It would have been better if Karoline Leavitt would have remained until after the mid-term elections. The timing and her departure will be exploited by the mainstream media into whatever the MSM cooks up.
Would haven even better if she admitted that half the words coming out of her mouth were utter lies, wake up people this administration is hell bent on one thing— enriching corporations and eroding public services.
One of , if not the, best.
BEST OF LUCK always, motherhood is most important job now!! You will be sorely missed, you were so quick and brilliant daily with the same old questions. We will be looking for you later.
I’m wondering if the ongoing security threats, the firefight at the first correspondents dinner, the security issues getting Trump out of Turkey, and probably a dozen more things that will never hear about — and the fact that she has two small children — made this not worth it anymore.