Trump reveals Karoline Leavitt to step down as White House press secretary

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who became the youngest person to hold the role at 27 when she took the job in January 2025, announced she would step down at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children, including a daughter born in May. "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," she wrote, calling it a "bittersweet decision." Trump called her one of his "most trusted aides" and said she would remain a top outside adviser and "influential voice" in the Republican Party.

Leavitt's exit joined a string of departures from the administration this year, including the firings of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and resignations by Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and acting ICE head Todd Lyons. No successor had been named as of mid-August; senior officials including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had filled in with briefings during Leavitt's earlier maternity leave. She confirmed later in the month she would return to Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., where she had worked before the 2024 campaign.