Why I quit as White House press secretary – Karoline Leavitt

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has announced that she will leave the Trump administration at the end of August, saying she wants to devote more time to her young children.

Leavitt, 28, the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary, described the move as a “bittersweet decision” in a social media post on Wednesday, shortly after President Donald Trump confirmed her departure.

The announcement comes only months after Leavitt returned to the White House briefing room following the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May. She is also the mother of a two-year-old son.

Explaining her decision, Leavitt said the demands of the job had become difficult to reconcile with family life.

“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I 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 — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt wrote.

Trump did not announce a successor to the high-profile position. In his own social media post, the president said he respected her decision and suggested she would remain part of his political circle.

“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,” the president wrote.

Before becoming press secretary, Leavitt served as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC, and later joined Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

She previously sought elected office in 2022, winning a crowded 10-candidate Republican primary for a New Hampshire congressional seat before losing the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.

Leavitt had earlier worked in the White House press office during Trump’s first term and later became communications director for New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik.

Unlike some recent press secretaries, Leavitt held fewer formal briefings from the White House press room. Trump, who frequently speaks directly with reporters during official events and on trips, often relied on her to promote his administration’s agenda on Fox News and other conservative media outlets while criticising Democrats and mainstream news organisations.

Trump’s first administration featured several notable press secretaries, including Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, both known for combative exchanges with reporters. Stephanie Grisham never conducted a formal briefing, while Kayleigh McEnany often used briefings to sharply challenge the news media.

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