Trump says press secretary Leavitt to leave job at month's end

Trump says press secretary Leavitt to leave job at month's end

By Jacob Bogage, Ismail Shakil and Christian Martinez. WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of the month, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, leaving the president without one of his most trusted advisers ahead of November's midterm elections. Leavitt will be an outside communications adviser and party operative shaping the future contours of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement, she and Trump said in statements. In a social media post, Leavitt, 28, said she aimed to spend more time with her young children. She gave birth to a daughter, her second child, in May and recently returned from maternity leave. "Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024," Trump said in a social media post, calling Leavitt "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office." Leavitt called her role at the White House "the honor and adventure of a lifetime." Leavitt joined Trump's 2024 campaign and served as transition spokeswoman before Trump selected her to be White House press secretary. She was the youngest person to be appointed to the role. In her year and a half on the job, Leavitt and White House communications director Steven Cheung transformed the administration's posture toward the media - in ways that some of Trump's allies cheered and free press advocates criticized.