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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, youngest person to hold role, to leave at month’s end

Aug 12, 2026, 12:48 PM

FILE - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press ...

FILE - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Credit: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the youngest person to hold the role, will leave at month’s end, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday.

Leavitt, 28, just recently returned to the White House after taking a brief leave for the birth of her second child in May.

Leavitt, who served Trump as a press aide during his first go-around in the White House, has been one of the most visible advocates of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. The Republican president described her as one of his “most trusted aides” in a social media post announcing her departure.

He said Leavitt “will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! 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.”

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, youngest person to hold role, to leave at month’s end