White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest in American history, is leaving the podium at the end of August to focus on her young family -- and President Trump says she will stay on as one of his top outside advisers.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving the podium at the end of August, closing out a historic run as the youngest person ever to hold the most visible job in American political communications. President Donald Trump announced the move this week, saying Leavitt is stepping down to spend more time with her young family -- and making clear she will remain one of his top outside advisers. Her departure marks the end of a 19-month tenure that began with her appointment at age 27 in January 2025 and turned the daily briefing into must-watch television again.
Leavitt, now 28, confirmed the decision in her own social media post, calling it bittersweet. She recently returned to the briefing room after the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May, and said she felt she could not be the best mother to her two young children while giving the job the constant time and energy it demands.
Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in American history when she took the job at the start of Trump's second term, shattering a record that had stood for decades. Before that, she had already spent years inside the president's political orbit, working as an assistant press secretary in his first administration, serving as communications director for a Republican congresswoman, and eventually becoming the national spokesperson for the 2024 campaign that carried Trump back to the White House.
Once installed in the West Wing, she restored daily televised press briefings and turned them into a platform where the administration's message went out unfiltered. Her combative exchanges with the White House press corps became a defining feature of the second term, and she built a massive following of her own in the process. Supporters credited her with giving the American people direct access to the administration's case, while her rapid-fire command of the briefing room made her one of the most recognizable faces in Washington.
The announcement was framed entirely around family. Trump said Leavitt was leaving to spend more time with her beautiful young children, adding that it was a decision he totally understands and respects.
Leavitt's own words spelled out the calculus. The truth is that 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 wrote, calling the move a bittersweet decision to depart and embark on a new chapter.
The choice resonates well beyond Washington. In a town where public officials rarely walk away from power voluntarily, Leavitt's decision to prioritize her children -- with the full blessing of the president -- sends a clear signal about where her priorities lie. She leaves with her reputation intact and her standing inside the movement secure.
Rather than a clean break, Trump's announcement positioned Leavitt for a continuing role. The president said she will now be one of his top outside advisers, keeping her inside the fold even as she steps away from the daily grind of the briefing room.
That arrangement reflects the relationship the two built over nearly two years of nonstop news cycles. Leavitt defended the administration through a wave of major stories, from the trade fight and border crackdown to the naval showdown with Iran, and she did it while becoming a fixture of conservative media and a fundraising draw in her own right. Keeping her as an outside adviser lets the White House hold onto that firepower without tying her to the podium schedule.
No successor has been named, and the White House has not offered a timeline for an announcement. Early speculation centers on Anna Kelly, the principal deputy press secretary who has stepped in front of the cameras in Leavitt's absence and is the natural internal choice. Other names floated in Washington include Matthew Boyle, a veteran conservative journalist, and former ESPN anchor Sage Steele, either of whom would bring a different flavor to the room.
Whoever gets the job inherits the youngest-ever standard Leavitt set, along with a press corps that has been remade in her image. The pick will also signal whether the White House wants continuity in the briefing room or a fresh face heading into a high-stakes midterm stretch.
The next few weeks will show how the transition plays out. Leavitt is expected to remain on the job through the end of August, and Trump's track record suggests a successor announcement could come on short notice. For now, the story is a rare Washington departure with no drama attached: a record-setting press secretary walking away on her own terms, family first, with the president's full respect -- and a seat at the table still waiting for her.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest in American history, is leaving the podium at the end of August to focus on her young family -- and President Trump says she will stay on as one of his top outside advisers.
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