White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt leaves position to spend time with family
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will depart her role at the end of August, President Donald Trump announced.
- Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the position, plans to spend more time with her young children.
- Trump praised Leavitt, calling her "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office" and a "real leader."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is set to leave her position at the end of August, a move announced by President Donald Trump. Leavitt, who has served as the president's chief spokesperson for the past year and a half, will transition to an outside communications adviser and party operative role. Her departure comes ahead of the November midterm elections, leaving the president without one of his key advisers.
Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime
Leavitt, 28, stated on social media that her decision stems from a desire to spend more time with her young children, having recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to her second child in May. President Trump lauded her performance, describing her as "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office" and a "real leader" who has fought for "Justice, Liberty, and Freedom" since 2018. He also noted her contributions to his "Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024."
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
Leavitt, the youngest individual ever appointed to the role of White House Press Secretary, joined Trump's 2024 campaign and served as transition spokeswoman before her appointment. Harrison Fields, Trump's former principal deputy press secretary, described Leavitt as someone who "spoke Trump fluently" and possessed a "cunning, audacious, and successful" approach to engaging with the media that resonated with the president.
one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office
During Leavitt's tenure, she and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung reportedly transformed the administration's media strategy. This shift involved the White House handpicking journalists for access to the president, departing from the traditional system managed by the White House Correspondents Association. This "press pool" system traditionally ensured uniform media access and dissemination of presidential activities.
Few could or will ever compare to Karoline. She's someone who not only spoke Trump fluently, she knew how to feed the media beast in a cunning, audacious, and successful way that, most importantly, played to her audience: the president.
Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.