Karoline Leavitt to step down as Trump press secretary

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, saying she would remain one of his top outside advisers.

Trump said on social media that Leavitt would leave the role to spend more time with her children and family. He said she would become “one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party.”

Leavitt, 28, is described by AFP as the youngest person to serve as the top spokesperson for a US president. She has been a prominent defender of Trump at White House briefings.

Leavitt thanked Trump on social media for entrusting her with speaking for him at the White House podium. She said that after returning to the White House following the birth of her daughter, she felt she could not be “the best mom” her two young children deserved while giving the press secretary job the attention it needed.

Leavitt served in Trump's press office during his first term and was his spokesperson during his 2024 election campaign.

Her tenure as press secretary included a revival of regular briefings. It also included changes to White House press access, including a February 2025 announcement that the White House, rather than an independent correspondents' association, would choose which reporters could cover Trump up close in the Oval Office and on Air Force One.

Leavitt also facilitated press credentials for right-wing, pro-Trump media outlets. Before working in the White House, she unsuccessfully ran for a congressional seat in New Hampshire in 2022 on a pro-Trump, pro-gun ownership platform.

Leavitt signalled that she planned to remain politically active, saying her fight was “entering a new phase” and was “far from over.”