White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August to transition into a new role as a top outside adviser, President Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social. Leavitt, who recently returned to the White House after giving birth to her second child in May, cited the demands of the job and a desire to spend more time with her young family as the reasons for her departure. The president stated he respects the decision and praised Leavitt's performance in the role she has held since the start of his second term.
Leavitt, 28, was the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary, having started the job at age 27. In a social media post, she described the decision to leave as "bittersweet," stating that she felt she could not balance the constant attention required by the role with her responsibilities as a mother to two young children. Before serving as press secretary, Leavitt worked with the administration beginning in 2018 and was part of the 2024 re-election campaign.
The Trump administration has not yet named a successor or an interim replacement for the press secretary role. President Trump noted that in her new capacity as an outside adviser, Leavitt will focus on the Republican Party's efforts during the upcoming midterm elections. Her exit from the official White House post comes less than three months before those elections are scheduled to take place.
The scale of this shift is notable due to its timing, occurring less than 90 days before the midterm elections. The press secretary is responsible for representing the president's policies to the media and the public; a vacancy or change in leadership in this office can alter how the administration’s messages are delivered during a critical election cycle. While Leavitt will remain an "influential voice" as an outside adviser, she will no longer be the person standing at the White House podium to answer questions from journalists on behalf of the federal government.
The concrete day-to-day change will be felt by the White House press corps and viewers of televised briefings, who will see a new official—or an interim spokesperson—conducting the administration's business starting in September. The knock-on effects include the potential for a shift in communication style or strategy as the Republican Party prepares for midterms. What happens next depends on the president's selection of a new press secretary, with Leavitt officially scheduled to depart her current role at the end of August.