Karoline Leavitt, the Youngest White House Press Secretary in History, Will Leave at the End of August
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, President Trump announced on Truth Social that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will depart the administration at the end of the month. Leavitt, 28, was the youngest person ever to hold the job and the first to be pregnant in the role, having returned to the podium after the birth of her second child. Leavitt said in a post on X that she could not be the mother her two young children deserve while giving the press secretary's job the time it demands, calling the decision "bittersweet." Trump said he understood and respected the decision and that Leavitt would stay on as one of his top outside advisers and "an influential voice within the Republican Party" heading into the midterm elections. The announcement drew immediate praise from senior administration figures, including Vice President JD Vance and White House communications director Steven Cheung. NBC News reported the White House might not name a successor until after the November midterms — leaving the most visible communications post in the administration in flux during the closing stretch of the campaign, and during an August dominated by the Iran war, the Kennedy Center fight, and the SAVE America Act standoff.
“Karoline will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”