{
  "id": 721256,
  "title": "Trump’s combative press secretary Leavitt to leave White House role",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/trumps-combative-press-secretary-leavitt-to-leave-white-house-role",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-13T01:35:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/08/13/trumps-combative-press-secretary-leavitt-to-leave-white-house-role/231153"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Donald Trump announced on August 13 that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt would be stepping down from her role at the end of the month. The 28-year-old, who holds the title of the youngest-ever US presidential spokesperson, has been a staunch defender of Trump during often combative press briefings. In a social media post, Trump described Leavitt as one of his most trusted aides and stated that she would join him as a top outside advisor and influential voice within the Republican Party.\n\nLeavitt's departure comes as Trump grapples with declining poll numbers and the Republican Party faces potential defeat in the upcoming midterm congressional elections. In a social media statement, Leavitt expressed her gratitude to the President for entrusting her with the privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium. She revealed that she felt unable to provide the best care for her two young children while fulfilling her duties as press secretary. Leavitt, a Trump veteran who served in his press office during his first term and during his 2024 election campaign, noted that after returning from maternity leave following the birth of her second child, she believed she could not be the best mother for her children while serving as press secretary.\n\nLeavitt's tenure as press secretary marked a revival of regular briefings that had dwindled during Trump's first term. However, she also presided over a significant shift in White House interactions with journalists. In February 2025, Leavitt shocked the press corps by announcing that the White House would, rather than an independent association of correspondents, select which reporters could cover Trump in the Oval Office and on Air Force One. She also facilitated press credentials from right-wing, pro-Trump media outlets, thereby reducing the presence of traditional news media that often posed more challenging questions during briefings.\n\nRaised in New Hampshire, where her family operated an ice cream shop, Leavitt previously protested against a professor criticizing Trump in her university newspaper in 2017. After Trump's 2020 election loss, Leavitt ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Congress in New Hampshire on a pro-Trump, pro-gun ownership platform. She subsequently won praise for her strong television performances during Trump's 2024 re-election campaign, vowing to continue her fight against what she called an \"existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party.\"",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON, Aug 13 — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who earned a reputation for acid putdowns of journali...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}