White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to step down - NBC News

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave the Trump administration at the end of August, having served in the role since the start of President Donald Trump's second term.
Trump announced the departure Wednesday on Truth Social, saying the 28-year-old Leavitt—the youngest person ever to hold the position—is stepping down to spend more time with her young children and family.
Trump said Leavitt will become one of his top outside advisors and an influential Republican voice as the party works toward the midterm elections.
Leavitt, who gave birth to her second child in May and became the first press secretary to have a child while serving, said in a statement on X that she felt she could not be the best mother her children deserve while meeting the demands of the role.
She returned to the podium from maternity leave on July 16; during her absence the White House used various officials—including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—to brief the press rather than naming an interim spokesperson.
Neither Trump nor Leavitt named a successor; Leavitt, one of only eight women to serve as press secretary, previously worked as an assistant press secretary in Trump's first term and as national press secretary during the 2024 campaign.