Donald Trump: "“a real leader in the White House”"

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of August so she can devote more attention to her family. Trump praised her time in the post, placing her among the office's best in history, and said she will keep advising him from outside while playing a major Republican Party role. Leavitt, 27, recently returned from maternity leave after her second child was born in May. She became the youngest press secretary after serving as Trump's 2024 campaign spokesperson. Her briefings were often confrontational, and she repeatedly pushed back against journalists; the administration also widened briefing-room access to non-traditional media. Her departure is the latest senior staff shake-up in Trump's second term, with Republicans facing November midterm elections.