WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her post at the end of August, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, ending her tenure as the public face of his administration after she returned from maternity leave last month.
Trump said Leavitt, 28, would leave to spend more time with her young children and family. He said she would remain one of his top outside advisers and continue to be an influential voice in the Republican Party. No successor has been announced.
Leavitt said the decision followed her struggle to balance the demands of the press secretary's job with motherhood after the birth of her second child, a daughter, in May. She had returned to the White House briefing room in July after taking maternity leave.
The departure comes less than three months before the November congressional elections, when Republicans will seek to defend their majorities in Congress. Leavitt has been a prominent defender of Trump's policies and a central figure in the administration's communications operation since he returned to the White House in January 2025.
Trump praised Leavitt's performance and described her as one of his most trusted aides. He said she would continue to advise him from outside the administration as Republicans prepare for the midterm elections.
Leavitt became the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary when Trump appointed her at age 27 for his second administration. Before taking the post, she served as national press secretary for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and previously worked in communications roles in his first administration and for Republican lawmakers.
Her departure follows a period in which she temporarily stepped away from the briefing room after giving birth to her daughter. Leavitt announced the birth in May, saying the child was born on May 1. She subsequently returned to public duties and held her first briefing since April on July 16.
The White House has not publicly identified who will succeed Leavitt or detailed arrangements for the press operation after her departure. She is expected to remain in her position through the end of August, according to the announcement.
