Karoline Leavitt steps down as White House press secretary

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Aug 12, 2026

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Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday announced she is stepping down as White House press secretary, citing the demands on her time posed by being a mother of two.

Leavitt, 28, who is one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers, said she would leave the post at the end of the month. She recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to her second child in May.

“I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt tweeted.

She admitted the demands of being a mother of two was too much to juggle with handling a key role promoting Trump’s agenda.

“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,” Leavitt said. “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.”

No successor was immediately named.

Trump heaped praise on Leavitt and said she would remain a close adviser from outside the administration. He lauding her as one of his most effective and hardest-working aides and “one of the best press secretaries” in history.

He noted she helped shape media coverage of his historic comeback victory in the 2024 presidential campaign, when she served as his top spokeswoman.

“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on his social media site.

Leavitt, who served as a junior press aide in the first Trump White House, took over the press secretary role when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

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