Karoline Leavitt to depart White House

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, a long-term aide to President Donald Trump, will be departing the administration at the end of August to spend more time with her family.“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!” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. “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.”Trump added that Leavitt “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.” “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office,” he wrote.Leavitt, 28, was the youngest White House press secretary in history when Trump appointed her early during his transition after she served as the primary spokeswoman for his 2024 presidential campaign.In her own statement, Leavitt, who gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May, reflected on her second stint at the White House after she worked in the press shop during Trump’s first term.“Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” the press secretary wrote. “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 in the Oval Office, flying around the world and meeting foreign leaders, and traveling across our beautiful country and meeting Americans from all walks of life.”TRUMP INSTALLS LOYALIST WILL SCHARF AS WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL AHEAD OF POTENTIAL DEMOCRATIC INVESTIGATIONBut Leavitt, who similarly gave birth to her first child Nicholas during the summer before the 2024 election, underscored that “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.”“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 wrote. “President Trump has asked me to continue serving as a top advisor to him on the outside, and I will always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party.” 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… https://t.co/4jyW61DGGh pic.twitter.com/xny1yccuBn— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) August 12, 2026