Trump ally Karoline Leavitt to leave role as White House press secretary
Leavitt, who at 28 is the youngest person to ever hold the role, will resign at the end of August
Karoline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretary at the end of this month, Donald Trump has announced.
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The former press secretary made the decision to depart her role in order to spend more time with her family.
Leavitt, who at 28 is the youngest person to ever hold the role, will resign at the end of August.
She has two children and has become one of Trump's most visible allies through her role.
"Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime," Leavitt said in a post on social media site X.
“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,” Leavitt wrote Wednesday.
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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
Leavitt has two children with her husband, Nicholas Riccio. Their first child, a son named Nicholas ('Niko'), was born in July 2024, and their second child, a daughter named Viviana ('Vivi'), was born on May 1, 2026.
"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 said in a post on Truth Social.
She started out interning for Fox News during the 2016 election while studying at Saint Anselm College.
In 2019, after graduating, she started at the White House as a presidential writer.
She then served as an assistant press secretary during Donald Trump's first administration.
Leavitt left her role as press secretary for maternity leave in April. When the April 24 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner occurred, she returned briefly once more to update the press on the situation.
She fully returned to the podium on July 16. She kicked off her remarks: "Let’s get back to work."
Leavitt joined Trump's 2024 campaign and served as transition spokeswoman before Trump selected her to be White House press secretary, becoming the youngest person to be appointed to the role.