Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt to leave White House at end of August 2026

Departure announced

President Donald Trump announced on August 12 via Truth Social that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August 2026. Trump described her as "one of my most trusted collaborators" and said she was departing to spend more time with her family and her two young children, calling it "a decision that I understand and respect fully." Leavitt, 28, became the youngest person ever appointed to the role of White House press secretary. A New Hampshire native, she joined Trump's 2024 campaign and served as transition spokeswoman before being selected for the position.

New role ahead of midterms

Trump said Leavitt will continue working with the administration in a reduced capacity.

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.

Leavitt confirmed on social media that Trump had asked her to continue serving as his outside advisor. The November midterm elections loom as the next political milestone for the administration and the Republican Party.

Combative style in the briefing room

Leavitt went on maternity leave in late April 2026 for the birth of her second child, without naming a replacement, and returned a few weeks later to manage communications during the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. She became known for a combative style with journalists, frequently turning questions back on reporters rather than answering them. In one exchange with The Hill's Niall Stanage about ICE shootings, she called him "a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion" and said he was "only posing as a journalist in this room." CNN's Kaitlan Collins was regularly rebuffed during briefings. On another occasion, Leavitt told the Associated Press she found it "insulting" that a reporter tried to test her economic knowledge and the president's decisions, adding that she regretted allowing the Associated Press a question.

Departure amid broader turnover

Leavitt's exit comes amid ongoing controversy over Trump's secret departure from Turkey following the NATO summit, a move linked to Iranian threats, and the reported use of a "decoy flight" carrying journalists and staff. The departure also fits a broader pattern of personnel changes. During Trump's first term, turnover among senior executive positions reached 92%, meaning more than nine in ten people who started with Trump did not remain through the end, according to a Brookings Institute analysis. A study by the Partnership for Public Service published in July 2026 found that 27 Senate-confirmed Cabinet department officials had departed during Trump's second term, compared with 11 during the first term. The think-tank stated that Trump had seen "nearly two and a half times as many departures this administration as his first." Brookings reached a similar conclusion, noting that while the second term appeared more stable, the numbers did not fully support that impression. The institute observed that Trump had stopped publicly firing senior staff, and that departures in 2025 were less visible and marked by less animus.

Leavitt's farewell

Leavitt reflected on her tenure in a post on X.

Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime.

She thanked Trump for opportunities including working in the West Wing, spending time in the Oval Office, flying around the world to meet foreign leaders, and traveling across the country. She also described the experience of being a mother while holding one of the most demanding jobs in the world as "the most rewarding and at the same time most challenging phase of my life."