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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt
The TOI correspondent from Washington: For a White House that has never been shy about deploying its best-looking and sharpest tongue, Karoline Leavitt was something of a two-for-one political bargain: the photogenic face of the Trump White House, vaporising critical reporters with verbal volleys before they finished the question.
Now the show is over -- at least from the WH podium.The 28-year-old press secretary announced Wednesday that she will depart her job at the end of August, saying motherhood had finally trumped mouthing for the Trump White House. “Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life,” she wrote on X. After returning from maternity leave only on July 16, she said she had concluded she could not be “the best mom my two young children deserve” while giving the press secretary’s job the “constant time, energy, and attention” it demands.That is the official explanation; Washington, never short of scuttlebutt and speculation, produced several unofficial ones. The most colorful theory: Leavitt's maternal epiphany was not the only thing that happened to her in Turkey. Apparently, during Trump's recent departure from Ankara when he was shipped out in a catering container, Leavitt was left behind on the decoy plane while Natalie Harp, a Trump whisperer who is said to manage some of his social media posting, got to ride with the President.
Add the fact that Leavitt's resignation came almost immediately after the bizarre flight became public, and social media did what it does best: connected two dots and declared it a constellation.There is, however, no credible evidence that the airplane episode caused Leavitt's resignation, nor evidence of the alleged argument with Trump or Harp. The timing has fueled speculation, but timing is not proof. On her part, Leavitt expressed gratitude to Trump for the "honor and adventure of a lifetime, revealing that he has "asked me to continue serving as a top advisor to him on the outside, and I will always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party.
"Trump's own explanation contains a delicious little Washington contradiction. He said Leavitt was leaving so she could spend more time with her “beautiful young children and family” – a decision he “totally understands and respects.” Yet, in the same breath, he declared she would become one of his “top outside advisors” and “an influential voice” in the GOP as Republicans seek to win the November midterms.In other words: Congratulations, Karoline, you're free from the White House — effective immediately, please report to the Republican campaign war room.Leavitt's political resume hardly suggests retirement. She entered Trump's orbit in 2018, worked in his first White House communications operation, later headed comms for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022. She became Trump's national press secretary during the 2024 campaign and, at 27, became the youngest person ever to hold the White House press secretary's job.At the podium, she quickly established her trademark style: combative, confident and unmistakably Trumpian. She attacked what she called “fake news,” challenged reporters aggressively and became an energetic advocate for the administration. She also helped usher podcasts, influencers and other “new media” outlets into a briefing room long dominated by the legacy media.Indeed, her influence extended well beyond the lectern. She participated in high-level meetings and briefings and became one of Trump's most trusted public defenders.
Her own legacy, therefore, may be less about the number of briefings she conducted than about the changing job she embodied: press secretary as partisan warrior, rapid-response operative and political influencer, rather than merely the White House's human answering machine.And her future? Trump has already supplied the answer. Leavitt says her “fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over.” So motherhood may be taking her out of the West Wing, but if Trump gets his way, it certainly isn't taking her out of the fight. So long, Press Secretary. Hello, MAGA mouthpiece.
