White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to Step Down at End of Month; No Replacement Named

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her post at the end of August to spend more time with her young family. No successor has been named.

In a Truth Social post, Trump described Leavitt as “one of my most trusted aides” and said he fully understands and respects her decision. “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,” he wrote. Trump praised her leadership since 2018, including during the 2024 reelection campaign, and called her one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office.

Leavitt, 28, confirmed the move in her own statement. She said serving as press secretary for the past year and a half had been “the honor and adventure of a lifetime.” After returning to the White House following the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May, she concluded she could not give her two young children the attention they deserve while meeting the constant demands of the job. “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 wrote. Leavitt noted that Trump has asked her to continue serving as a top outside adviser and that she will remain a vocal advocate for the MAGA movement and the Republican Party.

Leavitt became the youngest person ever to hold the position of White House press secretary when she assumed the role at the start of Trump’s second term in January 2025. She previously worked as a press aide in Trump’s first administration and later as a spokesperson for a pro-Trump super PAC before joining the 2024 campaign. She briefly stepped away for maternity leave this spring and returned to the podium in mid-July.

The announcement leaves one of the administration’s most visible roles open less than three months before the November midterm elections. Trump has not indicated who will take over the daily briefings or serve in an interim capacity. During Leavitt’s earlier maternity leave, other senior officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet secretaries, occasionally handled press interactions.

Leavitt’s tenure included defending the administration through major stories of the second term. She will continue advising Trump from outside the White House while prioritizing her family.