Karoline Leavitt’s unexpected announcement on Wednesday that she will step down from the White House at the end of the month sent a jolt through Washington political circles.
The news was especially striking because Leavitt, 28, had only recently returned to the briefing room, resuming her role as press secretary just weeks after the birth of her second child and telling reporters: “Let’s get back to work.”
But according to multiple insiders who spoke to Our News Outlet, Leavitt’s choice to leave the high-pressure White House post was not sudden at all. Those close to the situation say it had been building quietly for months and was an emotionally difficult decision.
“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,” Leavitt said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
She added that, since coming back to the White House after her daughter’s birth, she had come to believe she could not fully meet the needs of her two young children while also giving the press secretary role the relentless time, focus and energy it requires.
Leavitt, a mother of two, returned from maternity leave on July 16 after welcoming her daughter in May. She and her husband, 60-year-old Nicholas Riccio, also share a two-year-old son.
A source close to Leavitt, who made history as the youngest White House press secretary, said she had been seriously considering resigning while still on maternity leave, as the president frequently reached out and pressed her about when she planned to return.
“No doubt one of the hardest decisions of her life so far,” the source said.
Karoline Leavitt speaks to President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington last month
Leavitt, 28, made the shock announcement Wednesday that she would be quitting as White House Press Secretary at the end of this month
Leavitt (pictured carrying her son Niko in April) has spent months mulling the decision, say insiders
Another source detailed an extreme ‘burnout’ in the few weeks since Leavitt had returned to work.
‘It was a very stressful job to do with her children. She never got any sleep, and she didn’t want her performance to slip either, so she decided to stay as long as she could and do the job well,’ the source said. ‘The president did everything he could to keep her.’
‘It’s a thankless job, and these are some big shoes to fill,’ another insider said. ‘I do know that the replacement isn’t chosen just yet. They are still weighing their options.’
Another source says that, after returning from maternity leave, Leavitt very quickly realized she definitely needed out.
‘First week back she realized she wasn’t feeling it anymore,’ the source said. ‘Trump really didn’t want her to leave as he actually trusts her and doesn’t like having to deal with new people in his circle when he wants to focus on getting stuff done in his time left in office.’
Two sources also explain that Leavitt has been confiding to those close to her over the past two months that she is ready to step down.
‘She was just trying to figure out how to politely step down with his [Trump’s] blessing,’ one of those sources explained.
On Wednesday, the president posted on Truth Social that it was ‘a decision I totally understand and respect,’ calling Leavitt ‘one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office.’
Trump added that Leavitt would remain a ‘top outside adviser’ and an ‘influential voice’ in the Republican Party as the White House gears up for crunch midterm elections this November.
Rarely has a press secretary wielded the level of access Leavitt has commanded, from sitting in on classified Situation Room meetings to steering crisis strategy around the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Leavitt gave birth to her second child in May and returned to work in just two months
One source close to Leavitt reveals she had been strongly weighing whether to quit during maternity leave, as the president would contact her often and repeatedly ask when she was coming back
Now, her exit leaves a profound political vacuum at a moment of acute vulnerability for Trump, who faces mounting voter backlash over rising gas prices and the war in Iran.
With no clear substitute appointed even during her maternity leave, the question of Leavitt’s successor remains completely up in the air.
First entering Trump’s orbit in 2018, Leavitt initially served as a presidential writer before taking on the role of assistant White House press secretary in the summer of 2020.
She then served as press secretary for Trump’s 2024 campaign and, after his reelection, took up the role of White House Press Secretary at the age of just 27.
‘I know that she has enjoyed every moment about being a mom and relished the time being at home with her son and daughter,’ Katie Miller, wife of Trump aide Stephen Miller, told Our News Outlet.
‘Babies have a way of changing your perspective and shifting your priorities that is truly unexplainable. You only have one chance when your children are little.
‘Karoline is incredibly talented. I know she is going to have other major opportunities in her future.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Leavitt for comment.
