US: Karoline Leavitt to step down as Trump's spokesperson

Karoline Leavitt , will leave her role as White House press secretary at the end of the month, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday.

Leavitt is one of the best-known faces and most ardent defenders of the MAGA movement .

Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that Leavitt was stepping down to "spend more time with her beautiful young children and family," adding that it was "a decision I totally understand and respect!"

Leavitt, now 28, who took on the job in January 2025 aged 27 at the start of Trump's second term in office, has been the youngest-ever White House press secretary.

She recently returned from parental leave after giving birth to her second child, a daughter, in May. She also has a 2-year-old son.

After initially wanting to be a journalist, Leavitt soon entered politics, and joined the White House press office during Trump's first term, working under then-spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany.

After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, Leavitt worked for the office of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a highly-loyal Republican supporter of Trump.

Leavitt later unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in 2022.