President Donald Trump announced on 12 August, in a post on Truth Social, that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave the administration at the end of the month. He said she was stepping down to spend more time with her young children and family, and that she would become one of his senior outside advisers and a voice within the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.

Leavitt, 28, has held the job since the start of Trump’s second term in January 2025 and is the youngest person ever to do it. She had recently returned from maternity leave following the birth of her second child.

The timing

The departure lands with under three months to go before the midterm elections, which is what makes an otherwise routine staff change worth noting. The press secretary is the administration’s most visible daily communicator, and the role sits at the centre of message discipline during a campaign season.

Neither Trump nor Leavitt named a successor. Reporting since the announcement indicates that it was not immediately clear inside the White House who would take over. Several names have circulated in Washington, none of them confirmed — among them Leavitt’s principal deputy, and officials who have appeared frequently on television during this administration. Any of that remains speculation until an announcement is made.

There is a precedent for the gap being managed without a formal replacement. During Leavitt’s maternity leave the White House did not appoint an interim press secretary, instead having senior officials brief reporters — among them the vice-president and the secretaries of state and the treasury.

How the job works

Worth stating plainly for readers outside the United States: the White House press secretary is chosen directly by the president and requires no Senate confirmation. There is no vetting process, no hearing and no fixed term. The president can appoint or replace the holder at will, which is why these transitions happen quickly and with little procedural detail attached.

Leavitt’s tenure covered several of the administration’s most contested episodes and she was a consistently combative presence at the podium. She also backed changes to how the White House press corps operates, including opening access to online media figures — a shift her critics characterised as favouring friendly outlets and her supporters described as broadening access beyond established organisations.

Sources

NBC News, Axios and CNN reporting on the announcement of 12 August and its aftermath, together with the statements posted by President Trump and Karoline Leavitt.