Leavitt’s departure comes on the heels of a leave of absence this summer after the May birth of her second child, Viviana. She returned to the White House last month.
Leavitt gave birth to her first child, Niko, during the 2024 presidential campaign, returning to work quickly when the president was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Leavitt, in a post on X, described the job as “the honor and adventure of a lifetime,” but said she had decided to step away to devote her time to being a mom.
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” she said, “and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life.”
Trump, in his post, called it “a decision I totally understand and respect!”
Leavitt has served as White House press secretary since the start of the second Trump administration. During Trump’s first term, she interned in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence while in college before becoming associate director, eventually joining the White House press team as assistant press secretary under then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
As press secretary, she has been widely praised on both the left and the right for being an effective communicator for the president in the White House briefing room. She earned a reputation for her tough but friendly banter with the press in that format.
The White House did not immediately answer questions about who will succeed Leavitt as press secretary and the timeline for replacing her.
Trump had four press secretaries during his first term: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and McEnany.
