August 13, 2026 — 12:10pmWashington: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is the youngest person to hold the role and built a reputation as one of Donald Trump’s strongest MAGA voices, will leave his administration at the end of the month to spend more time with her young family.Leavitt, 28, called it a “bittersweet decision” in a social media post shortly after Trump announced she would be stepping down. She recently returned to the White House podium after the birth of her second child, Viviana, in May.“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy and attention required of the White House press secretary – and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt wrote.Trump has not indicated who might replace her. He said in a social media post, “I totally understand and respect!” her decision to leave and indicated she would continue to play a role in his orbit.“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,” the president wrote.Leavitt worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc, a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. During Trump’s first term, she worked as an aide in the White House press office and then became communications director for Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik.Leavitt is seen as one of Trump’s most loyal and committed aides.AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonTrump often waxed lyrical about Leavitt in the high-profile press secretary role, remarking on how her lips “move like a machine gun”, and once vowing that she would “never” be replaced.Here are some of her most memorable moments:When she brought podcasters and social media influencers into the foldAt her debut media briefing in January 2025, Leavitt signalled a “culture shift” by breaking tradition; instead of the Associated Press, she gave the first questions to “new media” outlets Axios and Breitbart. During the 45-minute session, she encouraged podcasters and social media influencers to apply for press passes and assigned them seats previously reserved for staff.Leavitt makes her official debut as White House press secretary in January 2025.APWhen she returned to work from maternity leave days after the attempt on Trump’s lifeLeavitt gave birth to her first child just three days before an assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania during the 2024 campaign.She returned to work as his campaign spokesperson the next day, saying she felt “compelled to be present in this historic moment”.When she accused a journalist of being a ‘left-wing hack’Despite being on maternity leave, Leavitt returned to work days after the July 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump.APIn a heated January 2026 exchange, a week after activist Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by a federal ICE agent in Minneapolis, Leavitt accused a journalist of being “a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion”.Asked about ICE tactics by The Hill journalist Niall Stanage, who cited statistics on deaths in custody, Leavitt responded: “Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?”When Stanage then asked if she was asking his opinion and suggested an ICE agent “killed [Good] unjustifiably”, Leavitt hit back.“You’re a left-wing hack. You’re not a reporter; you’re posing in this room as a journalist. And it’s so clear by the premise of your question. And you and the people of the media who have such biases but fake like you’re a journalist – you shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat.”Leavitt accused The Hill reporter of left-wing bias.APWhen she told a reporter off for asking a ‘stupid question’In June 2025, as the White House was gearing up for Trump’s much-touted military parade through Washington, the president warned that any potential protesters would be met “with a very big force”.When Leavitt was asked at a briefing to clarify what kind of protests Trump would support or find acceptable, she replied that the president “absolutely supports peaceful protests. He supports the First Amendment”, but added that “he does not support violence of any kind”.But would Trump allow peaceful protests on the day of the parade? “Of course the president supports peaceful protests. What a stupid question”, came Leavitt’s response.Donald Trump attends the June 2025 military parade through the streets of the US capital.APWhen she attacked the Associated Press for using the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’In February 2025, the White House banned the Associated Press from attending certain presidential events after it continued to use the term “Gulf of Mexico” in its coverage, even after the president issued an executive order renaming the body of water the “Gulf of America”.“It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America,” she said. “I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is.”The Associated Press then sued Leavitt and two other Trump administration officials over its revoked access, citing freedom of speech. “We’ll see them in court”, was Leavitt’s response.Two months later, a federal judge ordered the White House to restore AP’s credentials.When she railed against ‘condoms in Gaza’During her first White House briefing, Leavitt announced that Trump had prevented a “preposterous waste of taxpayer money” by pausing foreign aid, including “$US50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza”.Trump then repeated the accusation and upped the ante by suggesting the pricey prophylactics were, in fact, headed directly “for Hamas”.Examining the claim, CNN found no evidence that either the $US50 million figure or the provision for contraceptives was true.Staff reporter with APGet a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. 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