White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has ended her tenure after serving as President Donald Trump’s chief public spokesperson for more than a year. The White House announced that Thursday was Leavitt’s final day in the role, without identifying her successor.
Leavitt is the 36th White House press secretary and was the youngest person to hold the position when she assumed the role at the beginning of Trump’s second term. During her tenure, she became one of the most visible members of the Trump administration through her televised briefings and frequent appearances on news programmes.
The White House praised Leavitt for her defence of the president and his America First policies, describing her tenure as one marked by command and clarity. President Trump called Leavitt one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office, according to an official statement.
Leavitt often used the White House briefing room to challenge news reports that the administration considered inaccurate or unfair. She was known for her confrontational exchanges with reporters. In one response highlighted by the White House in its farewell announcement, she dismissed a reporter’s question by saying, “What a stupid question.”
Leavitt also welcomed representatives of podcasts, online platforms and other new media outlets to opening briefings. This move changed the traditional seating and questioning arrangements at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, where seats have historically been assigned only to established news organisations.
She also argued that the administration needed to reach audiences beyond traditional television networks and newspapers.
Her briefings regularly focused on immigration enforcement, the economy, trade, foreign policy and Trump’s disputes with the news media. She repeatedly defended the administration during controversies involving federal spending cuts and its immigration policies. According to the White House, Leavitt set a new standard for the position as she consistently defended Trump’s agenda.
The administration did not mention whether Leavitt would continue to work for Trump or take another position within the administration. It also did not provide any date for the appointment or first briefing of the next White House press secretary.
The departure creates a vacancy in one of the administration’s most prominent communications positions at a time when the White House is dealing with major foreign policy, trade and domestic political issues.
The White House press secretary is the president’s official spokesperson and conducts regular briefings for journalists covering the White House. The official also coordinates with the president’s senior advisers and federal agencies to communicate the administration’s policies and responses to breaking developments.
Leavitt previously served as an assistant White House press secretary during Trump’s first term. She later worked as communications director for Republican Representative Elise Stefanik and ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. House seat from New Hampshire in 2022. She succeeded Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as White House press secretary under President Joe Biden.