Topline
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is resigning from her role, according to a Wednesday statement, citing her desire to spend more time with her children and family following the birth of her daughter in May.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on November 12, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Key Facts
Leavitt said since returning from maternity leave in June, she has felt she “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.”
Leavitt called her resignation a “bittersweet decision,” lauding President Donald Trump for selecting and backing her as press secretary.
Leavitt said Trump asked her to continue working as a “top advisor to him on the outside,” adding she will “always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party.”
Trump said in a Truth Social post he understood and respected Leavitt’s decision, confirming her future role as a top adviser and adding she did “a phenomenal job fighting for Justice.”
She will leave the role at the end of the month, Trump said.
Leavitt took a parting shot at Democrats in her statement, saying their party “seeks to destroy everything great about America.”
Big Number
27. That is how old Leavitt was when she became press secretary, making her the youngest person ever to hold the White House role.
Key Background
Leavitt worked for Trump during his first term in the Office of Presidential Correspondence, writing letters to constituents before she moved up to assistant press secretary. She joined Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., as communications director in 2021 and, one year later, ran for a seat in the House for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. She lost to incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H. She later became the national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. As White House press secretary, she developed a reputation for being combative with reporters she claimed were biased or aligned with the left. She defended the Trump administration’s decision to bar Associated Press journalists from pool events in the Oval Office last year. Leavitt also granted credentials and briefing room space to non-traditional news outlets and right-wing influencers.