Leavitt's departure comes weeks before midterms with no replacement named

Trump’s net approval rating hits record low of -27

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of August, less than three months before voters head to the polls in midterm elections scheduled for November 3. Leavitt, 28 and the youngest person ever to hold the position, confirmed the decision in a social media post Wednesday, calling it a “bittersweet decision.”

Leavitt cited the desire to spend more time with her young family as the reason for stepping down. Trump said he supported the move. She is expected to remain involved as an outside adviser to Trump and an influential Republican voice after leaving the podium.

The timing of the announcement places the choice of a successor at a politically sensitive moment. Historically, the president’s party loses seats in midterm elections, and Trump’s approval numbers have reached a new low as the November contest approaches.

Donald Trump’s net approval rating has fallen to -27, a new record low, according to The Economist’s tracker of YouGov polling. The figure underscores the challenge Republicans could face in November, with the press secretary’s communications role taking on heightened significance in the run-up to Election Day.

The administration has not yet announced who will replace Leavitt. Whoever inherits the role will take on the task of communicating the administration’s message in the run-up to the midterm elections — a brief The Guardian described as crucial.

Leavitt is the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary. Her departure removes one of the administration’s most visible messengers without a named successor in place.

In a separate development reported Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — the two most senior members of Trump’s Cabinet — flew out of last month’s NATO summit in Turkey on what was effectively a decoy plane after an Iranian threat, a senior US official said. Trump was secretly moved to a smaller military jet at the same time.

MSI previously reported that Trump announced Leavitt’s departure Tuesday, framing it as a family decision and praising her tenure. Today’s coverage adds the midterm timing and the record-low approval rating to the picture.