Karoline Leavitt posed with her two young children on her final day as White House press secretary Thursday, marking the end of her nearly 20‑month tenure as President Donald Trump’s chief spokesperson. The moment highlighted the personal reasons behind her departure, as Leavitt has said the birth of her second child in May reshaped her priorities. Her exit opens a high‑profile vacancy inside the West Wing and signals a shift in how Trump’s communications operation will function until a successor is named.
According to interviews she gave on her last day, Leavitt said motherhood had become incompatible with the demands of the job. She told NewsNation that raising two very young children required a level of presence she could no longer provide while serving as the administration’s public‑facing voice. This is a very impressionable time.
And of course, we never get these years back with our young kids.” When Newsweek asked Leavitt if she had any words to share on her final day at the White House, she said, after posing with her children and husband, Nicholas Riccio: "Thank you, guys." Leavitt and Riccio welcomed their first child, Niko, on July 10, 2024. The birth came just three days before the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, prompting Leavitt to cut her maternity leave short and return to work. Their second child, Viviana (“Vivi”), was born on May 1, 2026.
Leavitt had already begun maternity leave but briefly returned to the podium following the April 25 active‑shooter evacuation at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. She later described Vivi’s arrival as ushering in a “blissful newborn bubble.” That experience, she has said, forced her to confront the limits of “having it all” at once. Motherhood—and the strain of balancing two young children with a nonstop job—became central to her decision to step down.
Leavitt has emphasized that these early years are “impressionable” and fleeting, and that she would not get them back—an acknowledgment that her children’s needs outweigh the relentless schedule of the White House briefing room. Leavitt leaves the White House as the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, having taken the podium at age 27 on January 20, 2025, when Trump's second term began. Her 585‑day tenure is the second‑longest of any Trump spokesperson and was marked by an aggressive communications style, a reshaping of briefing norms, and a deliberate elevation of non‑traditional media outlets.
Her final day included a gaggle outside the West Wing, where she told reporters: “I’ll miss you guys. I know that’s probably not something anyone would expect me to say, but obviously it’s been great working with all of you." She also reiterated her gratitude to Trump, calling him a “boss and a friend” who supported her decision to step back. Leavitt’s departure leaves Trump without a press secretary at a moment when the administration is navigating heavy media scrutiny and an active midterm election cycle.
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