Karoline Leavitt is leaving the White House only weeks after returning from maternity leave, creating an unexpected vacancy at the center of President Donald Trump’s communications operation.
The 28-year-old announced on August 12 that she will step down as White House press secretary at the end of the month, less than four weeks after returning to work on July 16 following the birth of her second child.
Highlights
- Karoline Leavitt announced she will leave the White House less than four weeks after returning from maternity leave.
- The 28-year-old said she could no longer give both her two young children and press secretary role the attention they deserved.
- The departure comes as the administration prepares for the November midterm elections.
Leavitt described the decision as “bittersweet,” admitting that trying to raise two young children while holding one of the most demanding jobs in Washington had become impossible to sustain.
“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,” she said.
Karoline Leavitt had only returned from maternity leave in July before quitting
Leavitt’s departure comes at an unusually sensitive moment for Trump, with the November midterm elections approaching and his administration facing pressure over several politically damaging controversies.
Leavitt welcomed her daughter, Vivi, in May.
She also has a two-year-old son, Niko, with her husband, real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, 60, whom she married in January 2025.
When Leavitt returned to the briefing room on July 16, she appeared ready to resume her role as one of Trump’s most visible defenders.
“Let’s get back to work,” she told reporters.
Less than a month later, she decided she could no longer balance the job with caring for her children.
The decision marked a striking change from her first experience with motherhood.
Leavitt gave birth to Niko in July 2024 while working as national press secretary for Trump’s presidential campaign. She returned to work only days later after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This time, with a newborn daughter and toddler at home, she chose to leave.
Trump publicly supported the decision.
Writing on Truth Social, the president called Leavitt “one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office” and said her resignation was “a decision I totally understand and respect.”
She will not disappear from Trump’s political operation completely.
Trump said Leavitt will remain a “top outside adviser” and continue serving as an influential Republican voice as the party prepares for the midterms.
Exactly what that role will involve remains unclear.
Her departure leaves Trump without one of his closest defenders
Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in history when Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Her briefing-room style quickly became recognizable.
She regularly accused journalists of spreading “fake news,” confronted reporters directly, and defended Trump with the same aggressive language he frequently uses against the media.
Unlike many previous press secretaries, Leavitt made little effort to position herself as an intermediary between the president and journalists.
She operated firmly as Trump’s advocate. Her influence also extended beyond press briefings.
Leavitt reportedly attended classified Situation Room discussions and advised the administration during major political crises, including the controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Her access was unusual for a press secretary and reflected the level of trust she had developed with Trump.
That makes her sudden departure more significant than a routine communications reshuffle.
The White House has yet to announce her permanent replacement.
There was also no official stand-in press secretary while Leavitt was on maternity leave, leaving uncertainty over who will assume the briefing-room role after her departure.
Another senior communications official left only weeks earlier
Leavitt’s resignation comes shortly after one of her top deputies also left the administration.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson departed for the private sector at the end of July.
Jackson had handled communications involving major agencies including the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security.
Her exit already created a gap inside the White House communications team.
Two weeks later, Leavitt announced that she was leaving as well.
The timing comes as Trump enters a difficult political period.
Republicans are preparing for November’s midterm elections while attempting to defend their congressional majorities.
At the same time, the administration is dealing with criticism over the Iran war and the effect of international instability on fuel prices.
Leavitt had been one of the officials responsible for defending Trump through those controversies.
Her successor will inherit them immediately.
Leavitt had spent years building her career inside Trump’s movement
Leavitt first entered Trump’s political orbit during his first administration.
She worked as a presidential writer before becoming an assistant White House press secretary.
After Trump left office, she served as communications director for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, one of his most loyal congressional allies.
Leavitt then attempted to establish a political career of her own.
In 2022, she won a crowded Republican primary for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District but lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
She returned to Trump shortly afterward.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Leavitt became his national press secretary and established herself as one of the campaign’s most aggressive television surrogates.
Trump rewarded that loyalty after winning the election by selecting her as White House press secretary.
Her rapid rise transformed her into one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable young figures.
That profile means Leavitt is unlikely to struggle finding another position whenever she decides to return to full-time work.
Possible opportunities could include Republican campaigns, political consulting, conservative media, or communications roles.
For now, she says she has no immediate plans beyond spending more time with her family while continuing to advise Trump from outside the government.
Critics believe the resignation has more to do with the president’s declining popularity than motherhood
Leavitt’s resignation is unusual because she is leaving at the height of her political visibility rather than after losing influence or falling out with the president.
Only one day before announcing her departure, she was photographed alongside White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, communications adviser Margo Martin, and executive assistant Natalie Harp while preparing to board Air Force One.
There had been little public indication that she was preparing to leave.
For Trump, the result is the loss of one of his most trusted public defenders at a difficult moment. His approval has fallen by roughly six to eight points since the beginning of 2026, with several major polls now placing him in the low-to-mid 30s as Republicans head toward the midterms.
Online, detractors have come up with different explanations for Leavitt’s timing.
“I don’t blame her. She doesn’t wanna be around for the impeachment. Everyone is abandoning ship,” a reader wrote.
“She can see which way the wind is blowing,” a reader added
