On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Karoline Leavitt, the 36th White House Press Secretary and the youngest person ever to hold the role, will leave her position at the end of August 2026 to focus on her family.
Leavitt, 28, confirmed the news in a lengthy statement on X the same day, calling the decision bittersweet and citing her desire to be more present for her two young children, one-year-old son Niko and three-month-old daughter Viviana. Trump said she will remain one of his top outside advisors and a voice for the Republican Party heading into the November 2026 midterms. This article compiles every verified fact about the announcement, her tenure, her family, and what comes next, so readers do not need to check multiple sources for a full picture.
What Happened: The August 12, 2026 Announcement
President Trump’s Truth Social post named Leavitt as one of his most trusted aides and confirmed her departure at the end of the month. He said she was leaving so she could spend more time with her young children and family, and said he understood and respected her decision. The post also confirmed her new role as an outside adviser working on the midterm campaign.
Leavitt’s own X statement, published shortly after Trump’s, framed her decision in personal rather than political terms. She said serving as press secretary had been the honor and adventure of a lifetime. She added that since returning from maternity leave, she had felt in her heart that she could not be the mother her two young children deserved while doing the job at the level it required. Karoline thanked the president and the White House team and said she would remain a vocal advocate for the Republican Party.
Neither Trump nor Leavitt named her successor.
Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime. I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for granting me so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours… https://t.co/4jyW61DGGh pic.twitter.com/xny1yccuBn
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) August 12, 2026
Quick Fact Box
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Karoline Claire Leavitt |
| Age | 28 |
| Role | 36th White House Press Secretary |
| Announcement Date | 12 August 2026 |
| Departure Date | End of August 2026 |
| Successor | Not yet named |
| New Role | Outside adviser to President Trump and to the Republican Party |
| Husband | Nicholas “Nick” Riccio, 60, real estate developer |
| Children | Niko (b. 10 July 2024) and Viviana “Vivi” (b. 1 May 2026) |
| Historical Distinction | Youngest White House Press Secretary ever; first to serve while pregnant; first to have a child in role |
Timeline of Karoline Leavitt’s White House and Political Career
To understand why the resignation is drawing so much attention, it helps to see how quickly Leavitt rose through Republican politics and Trump-world specifically.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Late 2010s | Interns in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence during Trump’s first term. |
| January 2021 | Serves as assistant press secretary in the final stretch of the first Trump administration. |
| 2022 | Runs as the Republican nominee in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. Loses the general election. |
| 2022 | Meets Nicholas Riccio during her congressional campaign. |
| 2023 | Joins MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, as a spokesperson. |
| December 2023 | Engaged to Nicholas Riccio. |
| January 2024 | Named national press secretary for Trump’s presidential campaign. |
| 10 July 2024 | Gives birth to son Niko. |
| 13 July 2024 | Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Leavitt cuts maternity leave short and returns to work within days. |
| January 2025 | Marries Nicholas Riccio days before Trump’s second inauguration. |
| January 2025 | Named 36th White House Press Secretary. Becomes the youngest person ever to hold the role. |
| Late 2025 | Announces her second pregnancy while continuing in the role, a first for a sitting press secretary. |
| 25 April 2026 | White House Correspondents’ Dinner disrupted by an active-shooter evacuation; Leavitt briefly returns to the podium. |
| 1 May 2026 | Gives birth to daughter Viviana. |
| 16 July 2026 | Returns to the podium from maternity leave. |
| 12 August 2026 | Announces her departure at the end of the month. |
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Karoline Leavitt’s Family: Husband Nicholas Riccio, Niko and Viviana
Karoline Leavitt family life has been closely watched since she became press secretary in January 2025. She is married to Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real estate developer raised in Hudson, New Hampshire and educated at Plymouth State University. The couple first met in 2022 during Leavitt’s congressional campaign. They became engaged in December 2023 and married in January 2025, days before Trump’s second inauguration.
Their 32-year age difference has attracted commentary throughout Leavitt’s public tenure. Leavitt has publicly discussed the age gap on multiple occasions, describing their relationship as atypical and saying her husband has been fully supportive of her career. Riccio maintains a low public profile and does not have visible social media accounts.
The couple have two children:
- Nicholas “Niko” Robert Riccio, born on July 10, 2024. His birth came just three days before the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Leavitt shortened her maternity leave and returned to campaign work almost immediately.
- Viviana “Vivi” Riccio, born on May 1, 2026. Leavitt’s second pregnancy made her the first sitting White House press secretary to be pregnant in the role.
Leavitt has said the balance between being a young mother and the intensity of a White House job was the primary factor behind her decision to leave.
Karoline Leavitt at a Glance: Who She Is
Karoline Leavitt is a New Hampshire native who studied at Saint Anselm College before beginning her Washington career as a White House intern under the first Trump administration. She rose quickly through Trump-world roles, becoming a familiar face on cable news throughout the 2024 campaign. As press secretary, she was one of only eight women to have held the role in its history, and by a large margin the youngest.
Her tenure was punctuated by several major news moments, including the story that became known publicly as Signalgate, the release of additional Jeffrey Epstein-related files, coverage of a brief U.S. military engagement with Iran, and the disrupted 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Coverage from Axios, NBC News, CNBC, TIME magazine, The Hill, Al Jazeera, and The Washington Post has consistently noted her combative briefing style with the press corps and her close working relationship with the president.
Why It Matters: Reading the Story on Multiple Levels
Beyond the individual news of a single staffing change, the Leavitt departure carries several layers of significance worth understanding.
A personal decision framed publicly. In her statement, Leavitt centered her decision on being a young mother of two children under two, and specifically on her sense that the press secretary job could not be done at full capacity while she was raising them the way she wanted. That framing has resonated with many working parents across the political spectrum.
A shift in the White House communications operation. The White House Press Secretary is one of the most visible daily-facing roles in any administration. Any change carries operational implications, including choice of successor, briefing cadence, and relationships with the press corps. With no successor named at the time of the announcement, that transition will play out publicly over the coming weeks.
A political repositioning ahead of the midterms. Trump’s own post confirmed Leavitt will move into an outside advisor role and be active in the Republican Party’s midterm campaign efforts. That reframes her departure less as an exit and more as a redeployment of a trusted operator ahead of a high-stakes election cycle.
Context: How the Departure Fits in the Trump Administration’s 2026 Personnel Changes
Leavitt is among several senior figures in the second Trump administration to leave or be dismissed during 2026. According to reporting by Al Jazeera and other outlets, other departures earlier in the year included:
- Pam Bondi, former Attorney General, was reported to have been dismissed.
- Kristi Noem, former Secretary of Homeland Security, was reported to have been dismissed.
- Lori Michelle Chavez-DeRemer, former Secretary of Labor, resigned during a scrutiny period.
- Todd Lyon, then acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, resigned during leadership scrutiny.
Leavitt’s departure differs from those in tone and framing, with both her statement and Trump’s presenting it as a voluntary, family-focused decision rather than a dismissal.
Historical Comparison: Where Leavitt Sits in the Press Secretary Line
The White House Press Secretary is one of the most historically significant staff roles in the executive branch, dating back more than a century. Leavitt is:
- Only the eighth woman to ever hold the role.
- The youngest person ever to hold the role at age 27 when she took the job.
- The first person to be pregnant while serving in the role.
- The first person to give birth while serving in the role.
She served in the role for a period covering roughly 19 months, including maternity leave, which is above average for a modern press secretary but not the longest in recent history. During Trump’s first term, four different individuals held the role between January 2017 and January 2021, illustrating how quickly the position can turn over.
Public and Media Reaction
Reaction to the announcement was rapid and split largely along political lines. Republican allies publicly praised her tenure and celebrated her focus on family. Democratic-aligned commentators and members of the White House press corps responded more critically, referencing tensions during her briefings and her public criticisms of legacy media.
Family-focused commentators across the political spectrum acknowledged the difficulty of the choice she described. Social media reaction on X, Facebook and Instagram trended heavily around the announcement for most of the day of the news.
Career Impact: What Leavitt’s Next Chapter Could Look Like
Trump’s Truth Social post confirmed two threads for Leavitt’s post-White House work. First, she will continue as an outside advisor to the president. Second, she will be an active voice in the Republican Party ahead of the November 2026 midterms. Beyond that, she has publicly stated an intention to continue advocating for her preferred policy priorities.
Options that are typical for a departing high-profile press secretary include cable news commentary contracts, podcast or long-form media hosting, and future political candidacies. Given her 2022 congressional run and her New Hampshire base, a future political candidacy remains a subject of active speculation, though nothing has been formally announced.
Interesting Facts You May Not Know
- Leavitt is the 36th person to hold the title of White House Press Secretary.
- Her son Niko was born just three days before the first assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
- She returned to the podium from maternity leave on July 16, 2026, a little over two months after her daughter’s birth.
- She and her husband met in 2022 while she was campaigning for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
- She is a graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Future Predictions
Three plausible pathways for Karoline Leavitt’s next chapter are visible in the current landscape.
Advisor and campaign role. In the short term, she is stepping directly into the outside advisor role Trump described, focused on the November 2026 midterm cycle.
Media career. Her public-facing profile lends itself to a cable news host role, contributor contract, or independent podcast operation. Multiple recent former administration officials have followed this path.
Future candidacy. With a New Hampshire base and existing name recognition from her 2022 congressional campaign, a future run for federal or statewide office remains a real possibility, though not officially confirmed.
Whichever path she takes, she will be doing so with much more time at home with her two young children, which she has clearly signalled is her immediate priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Karoline Leavitt stepping down?
She said in her August 12, 2026 statement on X that she wants to be more present for her two young children, and that she felt she could not be the best mother to them while devoting the constant time and energy the White House Press Secretary role requires.
When is Karoline Leavitt leaving the White House?
She will leave the role at the end of August 2026, according to both President Trump’s Truth Social post and her own X statement.
Who will replace Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary?
As of the date of announcement, no successor had been publicly named.
What will Karoline Leavitt do next?
She will become one of President Trump’s top outside advisors and will be active on behalf of the Republican Party ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections, according to Trump’s Truth Social post.
How old is Karoline Leavitt?
She is 28 years old and is the youngest person ever to serve as White House Press Secretary.
Who is Karoline Leavitt married to?
She is married to Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real estate developer from Hudson, New Hampshire. They married in January 2025.
How many children does Karoline Leavitt have?
Two. Her son Nicholas “Niko” Robert Riccio was born on July 10, 2024, and her daughter Viviana “Vivi” Riccio was born on May 1, 2026.
Is this the first time a White House press secretary has left for family reasons?
No. Several past press secretaries have cited family in their departures, though Leavitt’s is notable for being framed around two children under the age of two.
Was Karoline Leavitt fired?
No. Both President Trump and Leavitt have described the departure as a voluntary, family-driven decision.
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Last Updated on August 13, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
