President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for Florida, in Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026. REUTERS Nathan Howard
President Donald Trump is facing something of an 'exodus' as several White House staff members announce their departures, and according to The Daily Beast, this is likely because he is "just meaner" now.
For the latest episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, host Joanna Coles and executive editor Hugh Dougherty broke down the news that White House Press Secretary would be resigning from the role by the end of the month. Her announcement also came amid the departures of White House counsel David Warrington and deputy national security advisor Andy Baker, a major ally of Vice President JD Vance.
While Leavitt cited a desire to spend more time with her growing family, Coles and Dougherty explained her departure was almost certainly driven in part by the fact that Trump has become much "more unpleasant to deal with."
"He said it’s widely known among Trump’s aides that Trump is just meaner. You can see it," Coles said. "He’s more unpleasant to deal with. He yells at people. He’s always yelled at people, but he’s yelling louder and for longer... And I’m sure Karoline Leavitt, who you know, by all appearances, has a nice marriage, has a husband who’s wealthy enough that she doesn’t need to work, thought, ‘What am I doing with my life? I have these two adorable little babies at home. Why do I need to come to work and get shouted at when I could go to Fox, make more money and be just as famous?"
Dougherty responded, explaining that while Leavitt might have some personal reasons for resigning, there is "no doubt” that she “was not enjoying herself" in the Trump administration. He noted that Leavitt was reportedly bombarded with calls from Trump during her recent maternity leave and found that life did not improve upon her return to work.
"What was quite clear was that behind the scenes, she had been repeatedly phoned by Trump during that month that she was off, and... the load did not get any lighter for her," he explained. "When she came back, it got worse."
Dougherty also added that Leavitt's job and life in the White House overall would likely become markedly more miserable if Democrats sweep back into power in the coming midterms, as numerous polls suggest that they will.
"If the polls are right, it’s going to be a blue wave that’s going to be so unpleasant if you are in the West Wing, if you are Karoline Leavitt, if you are the other people who are leaving that we want to talk about as well, you don’t want to be there," Dougherty said. "First of all, he’s probably going to be throwing things, and there’s a lot of gold that can come off those walls. The internal atmosphere of a West Wing where there has been a defeat, obviously, is unpleasant."