White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Steps Down at 28

As press secretary, Leavitt established a "new media seat" in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room reserved for podcasters and social media influencers. She argued that independent content creators had been excluded from press access despite high viewership.

She held briefings outside Manhattan Criminal Court during Trump's hush-money trial, where he was convicted on 34 felony counts but received no punishment after the Supreme Court granted presidents criminal immunity protections.

Leavitt had a television studio built in her home so she could appear on air shortly after giving birth. "The president literally put his life on the line to win this election," she told The Conservateur. "The least I could do is get back to work quickly."

She grew up in Atkinson, New Hampshire, where her parents owned an ice cream stand where she worked summers. She played softball on scholarship at Saint Anselm College, majoring in politics and communications, and was the first member of her family to earn an undergraduate degree.

Leavitt married Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real-estate developer, in January 2025, days before Trump's second inauguration. She has called their 32-year age gap an "atypical love story" in a Megyn Kelly Show interview. "He's the best dad I could ever ask for," she said of Riccio. "And he is so supportive, especially during a very chaotic period of life."

In her departure statement, Leavitt said she could not be "the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House press secretary."

Trump named no replacement. The White House Press Office did not respond to a request for comment.