President Trump announced that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her post at the end of August to spend more time with her family.
Leavitt, 28, had officially returned from maternity leave just last month after giving birth to her second child, daughter Viviana, on May 1. She is the youngest ever White House press secretary and the first woman to welcome a child while serving in that role.
Trump, 80, posted the news on Truth Social on Tuesday. He called her “one of my most trusted aides.”
“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,” he wrote.
The president continued 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, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024.”
He added: “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”
Leavitt’s departure comes after a remarkably brief return to the briefing room. She had stepped away from the podium on April 27, just days after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner where she was in attendance.
She had initially announced that April 24 would be her final briefing before leave. “This will likely be my last gaggle for some time,” she told reporters that day. “As you can see, I’m about to have a baby any minute.”
The shooting at the Washington Hilton on April 25 disrupted those plans. Leavitt returned to work on April 27 to brief reporters on the incident.
On X that evening, she wrote: “What was supposed to be a fun night at the @WHCA dinner with President Trump delivering jokes and celebrating free speech was hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible.”
She added in the same post: “I was with President Trump and the First Lady back stage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service.”
Leavitt concluded: “Pray for our country.”
She finally began her maternity leave after that briefing, then returned to official duties on July 1. “Let’s get back to work,” she said at her first press conference back.
Leavitt noted during that return briefing that her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60, was staying home with their 2-year-old son Niko and newborn daughter.
In her May 7 Instagram announcement of Viviana’s birth, Leavitt wrote: “On May 1st, Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love.”
She continued on Instagram: “She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister.”
Leavitt added: “We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble. Thank you to everyone who reached out with prayers during my pregnancy – I truly felt them throughout the entire experience. God is Good.”
The White House had not named any formal replacement during her leave, relying instead on a rotating cast of officials. Communications director Steven Cheung and Leavitt’s team of more than a dozen staffers kept operations running.
Vice President JD Vance, Cabinet members, and even Trump himself had been floated as possible briefing substitutes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had already conducted one White House briefing during her absence, later describing the experience as chaotic because he did not know reporters’ names.
In the viral moment that preceded her maternity leave, Leavitt made an inadvertently prescient remark on the red carpet of the Correspondents’ Dinner. Speaking to Fox News host Jimmy Failla, she said of Trump’s planned speech: “It will be funny. It will be entertaining. There will be some shots fired tonight in the room.”
She added: “Everyone should tune in. It’s gonna be really great.”
Approximately two hours later, suspect Cole Allen charged through a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and exchanged fire with Secret Service agents.
Leavitt had also sparked speculation about her standing with a puzzling comment at her April 22 briefing. When asked about Virginia redistricting, she told reporters: “That’s a question that’s political by nature. As you know, I’m not part of the president’s political team anymore.”
She added: “I do sit here at the White House as a government employee.”
Trump himself had joked about her performance during an Oval Office executive order signing. “Maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know,” he said to reporters, then turned to her. “You’re doing a terrible job.”
He quickly added: “Shall we keep her? I think we’ll keep her.”
Leavitt’s next role remains loosely defined as an outside advisor to Trump and Republican Party voice. The White House has not announced who will permanently replace her at the podium.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Milwaukee next week.