DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,
Leavitt is departing her role to spend more time with family after giving birth to her second child, according to Trump.
Published On 12 Aug 2026
White 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.
This is a developing story. More details to come.