Trump says Leavitt will stay on as outside adviser
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Wednesday that she will resign at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children, with President Donald Trump disclosing the decision in a social media post that praised her tenure and said she will continue as an outside adviser.
“Karoline is resigning to spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” Trump wrote, according to United Press International.
Leavitt confirmed the decision in her own social media post Wednesday, calling her time in the role “the honor and adventure of a lifetime” and saying she is “incredibly grateful” to Trump.
In her statement, Leavitt said she has “spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this administration” and that she “relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes.”
Leavitt said the decision followed a months-long internal reckoning. Since returning from maternity leave, she wrote, “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 described the choice as “bittersweet.”
Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer, have two young children. Their youngest, Viviana, was born May 1, and Leavitt returned recently from maternity leave.
Trump, in his announcement, said Leavitt “has done a phenomenal job fighting for truth, justice and freedom” and called her “one of the best press secretaries in the history of the office.” He said she would be “an influential voice within the Republican Party as we work to defy history.”
Leavitt, who took the role in January 2025, is the youngest person to ever serve as White House press secretary.
In her statement, Leavitt framed the broader political stakes of her departure in stark terms. She said the United States “is facing an existential threat” from a Democratic Party that “seeks to destroy everything good about America.”
The vacancy leaves Trump to name a successor at a moment when the daily press briefing has drawn heightened attention from senior administration officials, with appearances at the rostrum used to advance political messaging as well as policy updates.
The White House did not immediately announce a replacement.