Trump reveals Karoline Leavitt to step down as White House press secretary

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftDonald TrumpTrump, Netanyahu and the Iran questionKey takeaways from primary election resultsHow Iran war fallout may shape US electionsA visual guide to redistrictingcaret-rightDEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, News|Donald TrumpTrump reveals Karoline Leavitt to step down as White House press secretaryLeavitt is departing her role to spend more time with family after giving birth to her second child, according to Trump. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoWhite House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room on March 30 [File: Alex Brandon/AP Photo]Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will be departing her role at the end of the month to prioritise her family, United States President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social. “Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018,” Trump wrote in a post on Wednesday, revealing the staffing shake-up. He noted that Leavitt would remain one of his “top outside advisors” and an “influential voice within the Republican Party”. Leavitt is the latest in a series of senior Trump officials to step down from his second administration. Since the start of this year, high-level figures like former Attorney General Pam Bondi and ex-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have been fired. Other officials — including former Secretary of Labour Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer and Todd Lyon, acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — have resigned amid scrutiny over their leadership. Leavitt’s departure, however, comes on the heels of her maternity leave. She and her spouse Nicholas Riccio gave birth to their second child, a baby girl named Viviana, in early May. The 27-year-old stepped away from her duties as White House press secretary in late April. She returned to the White House podium for her first formal press briefing in mid-July. “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office”, Trump said in his post. He added that Leavitt would continue to serve his administration as the Republican Party seeks to “conclusively win the Midterm Elections” in November. Leavitt has been a presence in Trump’s inner circle since his first term in office. She started as an intern, serving in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence, and from there, her career quickly advanced. By the end of Trump’s first term in January 2021, Leavitt was a spokesperson for the White House, serving as an assistant press secretary. Her relationship with Trump continued even after he was voted out of office in the 2020 presidential election. She worked in communications for MAGA Inc, a super PAC named after Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, and in 2021, she launched a bid to serve New Hampshire in the US House of Representatives. While she won the state’s Republican primary for New Hampshire’s first congressional district, she was ultimately defeated in the 2022 midterm election by incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas. When Trump launched his 2024 bid for a second term as president, Leavitt supported his campaign as its primary spokesperson. Upon his inauguration in 2025, she became the youngest person ever to act as White House press secretary, assuming the role at age 27. Her style at the White House podium has been described as “combative”, and she developed a reputation for clashing reporters during her frequent news briefings. “I think it’s insulting that you’re trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made,” she told one reporter from The Associated Press early in her tenure. This is a developing story. More details to come. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: