Karoline Leavitt to leave press secretary role in August

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her post at the end of August, President Donald Trump said Wednesday in a social media statement. Trump connected the decision to Leavitt’s intention to devote more time to her family.

Trump said Leavitt, 27, is not exiting politics entirely. He said she is expected to shift into an external adviser role linked to both the president and the Republican Party.

White House succession questions ahead of end-of-August exit

Leavitt’s departure will require the administration to appoint its second press secretary of the current term. Trump did not name a successor in Wednesday’s post, and the statement did not set out when a replacement would be announced.

With the transition date set and no schedule for an announcement, uncertainty remains around how the White House will handle daily communications once Leavitt departs. The lack of a disclosed plan also leaves open questions about what interim approach, if any, will be used for briefings and press access after the end of August.

The role’s daily influence on messaging and access

The press secretary job sits at the center of how a presidency interacts with the public and media. The position typically oversees briefing operations, helps maintain message discipline during policy rollouts, and coordinates responses during periods of political conflict.

Because those responsibilities touch both routine updates and high-pressure moments, the timing of any handover can matter for how consistently the White House communicates. For now, the administration has not said when it will identify the next spokesperson or how briefing operations could be managed during a transition.

External adviser role tied to GOP work before November midterms Officials have described Leavitt’s next step as a reassignment rather than a full departure from political activity. Trump said she will continue as an external adviser, keeping her involved in strategy work connected to the White House and the Republican Party.

Trump also said she will remain engaged in Republican efforts heading into the November midterm elections. The announcement framed her next position as part of broader party political work during that period.

Criticism during tenure and recent staffing changes

During her tenure, Leavitt oversaw a communications approach that placed more weight on digital influencers and right-wing content creators, while the traditional press corps played a less central role. The strategy aligned with wider administration efforts to distribute messages outside established news outlets.

Press freedom advocates criticized parts of that approach, citing concerns about transparency and First Amendment access. Those criticisms focused on how press access was managed and whether standard briefing channels provided timely information to the public.

Before taking the press secretary role, Leavitt served as a spokesperson for the Trump campaign and for the MAGA Inc. super PAC. Her exit also comes amid other senior staffing changes in recent months, including former Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

With no successor announced, attention is expected to remain on who takes over the public-facing role and how the communications operation will be structured once Leavitt leaves at the end of August.