White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared alongside President Donald Trump on Friday, making one of her first public appearances since announcing her decision to leave the administration at the end of August.
Leavitt, 28, accompanied Trump as he traveled to New York to deliver remarks at a police academy, appearing at the president’s side as he spoke with reporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One.
The appearance came just one day after Leavitt announced her resignation, a move that stunned Washington and leaves Trump searching for a replacement less than three months before the midterm elections.
Photographs from Friday showed Leavitt maintaining a reserved expression as reporters surrounded Trump. She later glanced toward photographers while walking up the stairs to Air Force One.
Leavitt said Thursday that she was stepping away from her demanding White House position to spend more time with her family.
She returned from maternity leave only last month after giving birth to her daughter in May, her second child in two years.
According to the Daily Mail, sources said Leavitt returned to work early at Trump’s urging. The outlet also reported that Trump had wanted her to remain in the administration.
Leavitt described her departure as a “bittersweet decision” after what she called “the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life.”
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” Leavitt wrote on X.
She said that realization ultimately led her to “depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life.”
Trump publicly praised his outgoing press secretary following the announcement.
In a Truth Social post, the president said Leavitt’s departure was “a decision I totally understand and respect” and described her as “one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the office.”
Despite leaving her formal White House position, Leavitt is not expected to disappear from Trump’s political operation entirely, per the Daily Mail.
Trump said she would remain a “top outside adviser” and an “influential voice” within the Republican Party as the GOP prepares for November’s midterm elections.
The White House has yet to announce Leavitt’s replacement.
Trump’s former attorney Alina Habba has emerged in speculation surrounding the position, while other Trump allies and administration officials have also been discussed as potential successors.
Leavitt became one of the administration’s most recognizable figures through her combative exchanges with reporters and frequent criticism of media coverage she viewed as unfair or inaccurate.
Her relationship with Trump stretches back to his first administration.
Leavitt entered Trump’s White House orbit in 2018, initially working as a presidential writer before becoming an assistant White House press secretary.
She later served as communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) from 2021 to 2022.
Leavitt subsequently launched an unsuccessful congressional campaign in New Hampshire before returning to Trump’s political operation.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, she served as Trump’s national press secretary and became one of his most visible media surrogates.
After Trump returned to the White House, Leavitt was selected as his press secretary.
Her resignation comes shortly after another departure from the White House communications operation. Deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson left the administration earlier this month for a position in the private sector.
Leavitt shares two children, 2-year-old Niko and 3-month-old Vivi, with her husband, real estate developer Nicholas Riccio.
While her next professional move remains unclear, Trump’s announcement that she will continue advising him suggests Leavitt will maintain a role in Republican politics even after officially leaving the White House at the end of the month.
