Trump Keeps Karoline Leavitt in His Orbit After White House Exit

President Donald Trump is losing one of the most recognizable faces of his second administration from the White House — but not from his political orbit.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August to spend more time with her family, Trump announced Wednesday.

Rather than making a clean break, Leavitt will move into a role outside the administration as one of the president’s top advisers.

Trump linked that next chapter directly to the midterm elections, saying Leavitt would remain an influential Republican voice as the party works to win in November.

The president praised Leavitt as one of his most trusted aides and credited her with serving his movement since 2018. He also called her one of the best people ever to hold the press secretary’s job.

“Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!” Trump wrote in his Truth Social announcement.

Leavitt, 28, said the decision followed her return to the White House after the birth of her daughter in May.

She explained that the constant demands of the press secretary’s job made it difficult to be the mother she wanted to be for her two young children.

Calling the choice “bittersweet,” Leavitt said she would begin a new phase while continuing to advise Trump and advocate for his agenda and the Republican Party.

“My fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over,” Leavitt said in her statement.

Her remarks make clear that her departure from the West Wing is not an exit from Trump’s broader political operation.

That distinction matters with the midterms approaching.

As press secretary, Leavitt was responsible for speaking on behalf of the administration, defending its decisions and confronting a press corps that frequently challenged Trump and his policies.

Outside the White House, she could have greater freedom to campaign, shape political messaging and defend Trump in a directly partisan capacity.

Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in history when she took the podium at 27.

She served as Trump’s national press secretary during the 2024 campaign after previously working in his first administration. Leavitt also ran for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022.

Her tenure reflected the administration’s effort to challenge the traditional media establishment.

At her first briefing in January 2025, Leavitt announced that the White House would expand access to podcasters, independent journalists and other new-media voices. She became known for forceful exchanges with reporters while defending Trump’s policies and confronting coverage the administration considered unfair.

The White House’s official archive shows Leavitt delivered her most recent briefing on July 23, shortly after returning from maternity leave. She had also briefed reporters on July 16.

The biggest unanswered question is who Trump will choose to replace her.

Neither Trump nor the White House has named a successor or said who will handle the job on an interim basis.

That leaves the administration facing a consequential communications decision as it moves toward the final stretch of the midterm campaign.

Leavitt may be leaving the briefing-room podium, but Trump’s announcement signals that she will remain close to the center of his political operation.