Updated August 13, 2026 at 8:23 AM EDT
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her role at the end of the month to spend more time with family, President Trump said Wednesday.
She will continue to be an outside adviser, he added.
"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 on Truth Social.
Leavitt, 28, was the youngest ever White House press secretary. She recently returned from parental leave after the birth of her second child in May.
"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 said on social media.
Leavitt's departure comes as the president, and his party, are struggling with voters who disapprove of his handling of the economy and high prices amid the Iran war.
In his post, Trump said Leavitt would still be an "influential voice" for the GOP.
Leavitt first started working for Trump in his first administration in 2020 and left shortly before his term ended. She later made an unsuccessful run for Congress in her home state of New Hampshire. Later, she went on to work for Trump's super PAC before working for Trump's 2024 campaign.
It's not yet clear who will replace her; several Cabinet secretaries filled in for Leavitt while she was on parental leave.
At the podium, Leavitt was often confrontational with the press corps, criticizing some outlets for what she described as bias. She was a staunch defender of Trump's policies even on issues such as denying the results of the 2020 election, which Trump continues to falsely say he won.
The start of her tenure also came with mounting tensions with the press corps. After The Associated Press refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," their reporters lost access to White House events and inclusion in travel with the president as part of the traveling press corps. New media outlets, many with coverage that supports the president's agenda, were included in the briefing room and on Air Force One.
Press access to Leavitt and other senior communication officials were also cut last October. Journalists used to be able to walk into the area called "upper press" but now an appointment is required.
Trump would often compliment Leavitt at events at the White House, calling her a "superstar."
During a meeting at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in November, Trump joked that the prime minister wanted Leavitt to work for him in Hungary.
"That's a very good decision you just made," Trump said to Orbán, before turning to Leavitt. "Please don't leave us, Karoline."
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