The chaos of the briefing room and tantrums of liberal reporters have turned out to be apt preparation for Karoline Leavitt’s next phase of life — wrangling two kids under age three. 

The 28-year-old New Hampshire native announced on Wednesday that she would be leaving her post as White House press secretary, a position she’s held in the Trump administration since January 2025. 

Leavitt posted her departure in a surprising announcement on X and described the job as the honor of a lifetime. She says she will be stepping away from the spotlight to fully embrace motherhood. 

“Most of all, I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium. I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes,” Leavitt wrote. 

Young moms look to Leavitt as an example of maintaining correctly ordered priorities. 

“As a fellow mom in my 20s, I’m so happy for Karoline as she makes this decision to recenter which areas of her life need her attention most at the moment! I think as a society, we weigh in too much on women’s work-life balance,” Joy Stockbauer, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. 

Leavitt is the youngest person to ever have the role and the second-longest tenure of any press secretary for Trump, behind Sarah Huckabee Sanders. While Sanders served for roughly two years, Leavitt will have served for about a year and a half by her final day at the end of August. 

Leavitt continued on X, “Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least. 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 will be remembered for standing up to the mainstream media and shaking things up in the briefing room. She gave voice to alternative media outlets who previously had their press passes taken away for not complying with the legacy media agenda. Many admired her for her fearlessness in challenging biased reporters. 

“The press corps threw everything they had at her. She threw it right back, every single time.” Fox News host Sean Hannity posted on X. 

Just months before stepping into the role, Leavitt and her husband welcomed their first child, Nicholas “Niko” Riccio in July 2024. In May 2026, the couple had their second child, a daughter, Viviana “Vivi” Riccio. 

Leavitt is vocal about her Christianity and often wore a signature cross necklace during briefings. She described her faith in a 2025 interview with CBN News as “the most important thing in her life.”

A few months into her tenure, a video of Leavitt praying moment before she stepped into the briefing room was shared on social media. 

“I think that team prayer before is just a moment to be silent and still and ask God for confidence and the ability to articulate my words, knowledge, prayer, protection, and it is a nice moment to reset. It’s the last thing I do before I go out there, and then it just gives me the confidence to do a briefing,” she told CBN. 

Leavitt’s resignation comes at the same time as progressive women in politics, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D- N.Y.), are choosing to put motherhood on hold. Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez started chronicling her decision to undergo in vitro fertilization treatment online.

“Women too often end up caught between a rock and a hard place, criticized for abandoning their aspirations if they stay home for a time, or criticized as ‘bad moms’ if they choose to work. At the end of the day, building a culture that supports both moms and babies means supporting moms at every stage of their career journey, even when it looks like taking a pause,” Stockbauer continued. 

Leavitt says she looks forward to “cheering on” her friends in the administration over the remaining Trump term. She will reportedly remain a close confidant and senior advisor of the president. 

In the CBN News interview, Leavitt said, “God has a plan for everyone. I believe that firmly. ...So God knew what He was doing, I believe, and you just have to trust the process and trust that he’s working in your life, and stay grounded in your faith throughout the way,” referring to her loss when she ran for Congress in 2022. 

It seems Leavitt will trust the process and stay grounded in her faith as she enters into this next chapter of her life as well.