Overview
- President Trump announced Wednesday that Karoline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretary at the end of the month.
- Leavitt said she is leaving to spend more time with her young children after returning from maternity leave in May.
- Trump said Leavitt will become a principal outside adviser and serve as a prominent Republican voice for the party’s midterm effort.
- Her departure comes while the administration is managing tensions with Iran and reporting about a secret presidential trip from Turkey, and no successor has been named.
- Leavitt, who became the youngest person to hold the job in November 2024, built a combative public style and her exit revives questions about communications continuity given the administration’s history of turnover.