Karoline Leavitt to leave White House press secretary role at end of month, will become outside advisor to Trump
President Trump announced Wednesday that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will depart her role at the end of the month to spend more time with her family. Leavitt, 28, confirmed the departure in a post on X, citing her inability to balance the demands of the job with being the mother she wants to be to her two young children. Trump said Leavitt will continue as one of his top outside advisors.
Two sources · Thin corroboration
Leavitt, who became the youngest White House press secretary in history when Trump began his second term in January 2025, posted a lengthy statement on X describing her departure as a "bittersweet decision." She wrote that since returning to the White House after the birth of her second child — a daughter, born May 1 — she concluded she "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."
Trump praised Leavitt in announcing her exit, calling her "one of my most trusted aides" and "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office." He also stated she will help the Republican Party "defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections." Vice President JD Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and FBI Director Kash Patel each posted tributes on X. Trump did not name a successor.
Leavitt's tenure included several changes to White House press operations. According to CNN, her office took control of the pool system long administered by the White House Correspondents' Association, added streaming services, local conservative radio hosts, and podcasters to the permanent press corps, and — under Trump's direction — banned the Associated Press from certain White House events after AP declined to update its style guide to reflect the executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico. Fox News did not address these operational changes in its coverage of the departure.