U.S. President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 24, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Erns
It was announced on Wednesday afternoon that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was leaving the demanding White House post to spend more time with her two-year-old and three-month-old children.
Late Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported that Leavitt faced a number of calls and demands while she was on maternity leave, and it quickly became clear that she would never be able to truly have a life with her children in their more formidable years while working as a press secretary in the White House.
"First week back, she realized she wasn't feeling it anymore," the source told the Daily Mail. "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."
New World political editor James Ball was empathetic in writing about Leavitt's decision to step down, noting in his column for The iPaper that it was a tough job. But under Trump, it can reach a whole new level. They don't merely respond to questions; for Trump, they're forced to come up with excuses for some of the president's bizarre behavior, gaffes and missteps.
Trump's first press secretary, Sean Spicer, perpetuated the president's false claim that his inauguration audience was the largest in history.
"Leavitt, though, was different," said Ball. "Blonde, thin, attractive, and willing to say whatever the President wanted her to say, Leavitt seemed utterly shameless at the lectern. Even when confronted with documents from the [Jeffrey] Epstein files, Leavitt would either shrug off the facts in front of her face, or else angrily attack the media. The Epstein files prove 'absolutely nothing,' she would say, 'other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.'"
Trump closed out his final year in office of his first term by holding his own daily press briefing on the pandemic. As he ages, however, he's "becoming increasingly dependent on the younger staff around him. Leavitt has defended him in public, while his executive assistant, Natalie Harp, constantly soothes the President by passing him printed-out tweets from his supporters and fans when he’s in a bad mood – as well as passing him printed drafts of his own social posts to approve."
Ball questions whether Trump can move forward without his "comfort blanket" like Leavitt.
"He is doing so just months before the midterms, which could be a catastrophic embarrassment, and one that gives Democrats the power to turn up the heat on his administration," the columnist said. So, if Democrats take over the House and Senate, Trump will desperately need someone to help spin gaffes and misstatements. Ball also said she could just be the beginning of a flood of exhausted people who simply want to move on with their lives.
"Trump is not just becoming increasingly vulnerable. He may soon also find himself increasingly alone," Ball closed.