Five days after the US Senate approved proposals for the appointments of over 70 people to leadership or ambassadorial positions and two days after the swearing-in ceremony of the new US Attorney General Todd Blanch, the administration of President Donald Trump announced another senior official leaving it.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt is leaving her post at the end of this month, world agencies and American media recall. Trump explained that Levitt made this decision so that she could spend more time with her beautiful young children and her family and said that he completely understands and respects her decision. Trump added, however, that Caroline Levitt, after leaving his administration, will be an outside communications advisor and party staffer who will contribute to shaping the future direction of the Make America Great Again movement, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press reported. Levitt herself confirmed this. Trump stressed that Levitt would remain an influential voice in the Republican Party at a time when it will challenge history and decisively win the midterm elections in November. The president also described Levitt as one of his most trusted aides.
“Caroline is a true leader in the White House and has done a phenomenal job fighting for justice, freedom and rights since 2018, including during our historic re-election campaign in 2024“, Trump said, summarizing Levitt's career. He added that she was “one of the best White House press secretaries in the history of the position“.
In a post on her social media accounts, Levitt said that it had been “an honor and an adventure of a lifetime“ for her to hold the prestigious position in the White House. She added that she decided to leave the administration after returning from maternity leave last month. “The truth is, since I returned to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I could not be the best mother that my two young children deserve while constantly giving the time, energy and attention that is required of a White House press secretary. "That's why I ultimately made this decision, which brings me both joy and sadness, to leave the White House and start a new chapter in my life," Levitt said.
“I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for giving me so many incredible opportunities, such as working in the West Wing of the White House and spending countless hours in the Oval Office, traveling the world and meeting with foreign leaders, and touring our great country and meeting with Americans from all walks of life,“ she added.
Levitt pledged to continue to play a politically active role at a time when, as she herself put it, “there is a growing existential threat coming from an increasingly extremist Democratic Party. "My fight is entering a new phase and it is far from over," Levitt stressed, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Who is Caroline Levitt and how did she get the position she has now announced she is leaving?
Caroline Levitt is 28 years old and is the youngest White House press secretary in the history of this position, world agencies and American media recall.
Levitt was born in 1997 in Atkinson, New Hampshire. Her parents run a used truck dealership there, DPA recalls. Caroline graduated in political science and communications from the private Catholic college "Saint Anselm" in her home state. During her time in college, Levitt showed herself to be an ardent supporter of Donald Trump. In September 2017, during his first term as president, she sent a letter to the college newspaper expressing her outrage at a professor who had insulted Trump in class. In the same letter, Levitt also criticized the entire teaching staff for spreading progressive ideas during classes, Agence France-Presse reported.
While still a college student, Levitt began working as an intern at Fox News and at the White House during Trump's first term as president. In 2020, she told Politico that these two internships gave her an insight into what was really going on in the world of media, journalism, and press offices in various departments.
After graduating from college, Levitt began working as a contract employee in the White House press office, where he participated in writing Trump's speeches, and then as an assistant spokesman. At that time, the White House press secretary was Kayleigh McEnany, world agencies and American media recall.
Levitt then began working as the communications director on the team of Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who at one point in 2025 was nominated by Trump for the post of permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, but Trump subsequently withdrew this nomination.
In 2022, Levitt ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in Congress, but unsuccessfully, world agencies, CNN and the BBC recall. According to the information site “Notus“, which is based on financial documents, Levitt accepted $200,000 in donations during her election campaign for this position, thus exceeding the limits permitted by law. Levitt then did not declare the donations received, the site added, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
In 2024, Levitt joined Trump's election team. She then served as a spokesperson for the Republican's transition team, which Trump created, as is customary in the United States, after winning the presidential election in November 2024.
When Trump announced Levitt's nomination for White House press secretary more than a year and a half ago, he called the young woman “smart, persistent and has proven herself to be a highly effective communications expert“. Trump then expressed confidence that Levitt would be "excellent as a spokesperson and help the White House messages reach the American people as the new administration restores America to greatness", the BBC points out.
Caroline Levitt has been officially married since January 2025. Her husband is businessman Nicholas Riccio, who is 32 years older than her. Half a year before the two got married, Levitt gave birth to Riccio's son, named Nicholas Jr., on July 11, 2024. Shortly after that, she returned to work. On May 1 of this year, Levitt gave birth to her second child - a girl named Viviana. Two months later, she returned to work.
Caroline Levitt's task as White House spokesperson was not an easy one. She had to clarify the twists and turns of Trump's thought. In the process, she often clashed with journalists accredited to cover the work of the White House, world agencies point out.
Levitt was one of the most visible defenders of the Trump movement, the Associated Press notes.
In a year and a half as presidential spokesman, Levitt, together with White House Communications Director Stephen Chung, changed the way the administration treats the media. This change was welcomed by some of Trump's allies, but criticized by defenders of a free press, Reuters, the Associated Press and CNN note.
The Trump administration began to determine for itself which journalists are granted access to the president, abandoning the long-standing system in this regard, created by the independent White House Correspondents' Association, in which the rotation principle was dominant. Levitt's office de facto took over the Association's functions in this regard. As part of the changes to the process that defines which journalists are granted access to the president, representatives of the so-called “new media“ have also appeared in the briefing room. This has given podcasts and other newly created digital media a greater role in covering what is happening in the White House. According to some media rights advocates, the change reflects the changing media environment. But other media analysts have criticized it as a tool that the administration can use to reward media outlets whose coverage it deems favorable. Traditional media outlets have seen the changes as limiting their access to the White House because of their publications that the president has not liked, summarize the Associated Press and Reuters.
Levitt, whose meteoric rise alongside Donald Trump has shown the spread of Trumpism among the "Gen Z" generation, has been at the forefront of an aggressive communications strategy, according to Agence France-Presse. Levitt used the podium in the White House press conference room to demonstrate her sarcastic sense of humor, combined with attacks on traditional media. In return, she warmly welcomed influencers and content creators who share the ideology of the "Make America Great Again" movement, Agence France-Presse reported. "It has been my pleasure to hold the left-wing media accountable for their actions and to make sure that Americans learn the truth about President Trump's successes," she said on Wednesday in a social media post announcing her resignation as press secretary. Trump's opponents, on the contrary, accused her of spreading the Republican billionaire's false claims without batting an eye, writes Agence France-Presse.
Levitt helped set the tone for Trump's second administration. Under Levitt, who is also a devout Christian, the White House's communication style became increasingly pronounced. In the Trump era, the media has been under constant attack from the administration, which has repeatedly accused them of spreading fake news. At the same time, the Trump administration has praised favorable media coverage and given right-wing influencers and websites greater access to the Oval Office, DPA also notes.
Levitt rarely distanced himself publicly from Trump's statements. He has repeatedly praised her for her work. She staunchly defended his hard-line policies and deftly deflected questions, including those related to the scandal surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to CNN, Levitt was much more than a spokesperson and truly understood the essence of Trump. She was among the leading figures in his attack on mainstream journalists and media organizations in Washington that cover the activities of the federal government, the media outlet adds. CNN adds that being a spokesperson for Trump is not an easy job at all. Trump changes his policies in no time, sometimes contradicting both his senior staff and himself. Very often, the spokesperson for such a president has no idea what his employer will say at any given moment, and it is the spokesperson who is then required to explain the president's statements, even the most unexpected and controversial ones.
Reactions and comments to Levitt's resignation
Levitt's resignation from her post has generated a number of reactions and comments. On CNN's "The Arena," Representative James Walkinshaw, a Democrat from Virginia, said he had no doubt Levitt was sincere about her reasons for leaving office. "It's a tough job. It's a job where you have to consciously deny reality every day to be Trump's spokesman," the congressman said. "I think her legacy will be to further deteriorate the relationship between the White House and the press," he added.
In an interview with Fox News, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Levitt a "close friend" and a "role model." "We'll continue to work together every day," he added. "Her story is just beginning." I can't wait to see what the future holds for her," he added.
“Few could or ever will be able to compare to Caroline,“ said Harrison Fields, Trump's former first deputy press secretary. “She's someone who not only spoke the Trump language fluently. She knew how to cunningly, boldly and successfully "feed the media beast", Fields added, emphasizing that in performing these duties Levitt always took Trump into account, Reuters reported.
Among those who praised Levitt's work after her announced departure from office were US Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and a number of other political and public figures, the BBC and CNN summarize.
The moment Levitt left
Caroline Levitt is leaving her post just months before the key midterm elections in the US, which are already being talked about as difficult for Republicans and in which they could suffer a painful loss.
Levitt is leaving at a time when Trump's popularity continues to decline falls.
Levitt is the latest member of Trump's team to leave on her own accord or because she was fired by the president. Before her, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noam, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were removed. The first two were dismissed, while Gabbard's reasons, like Levitt's, were personal. Gabbard's husband was diagnosed with cancer and she asked to be with him in this difficult life battle. But many assumed when Gabbard's resignation was announced that this decision was due to her sharp disagreements with Trump on a number of issues.
In April, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer also resigned, CNN and Reuters recall. But in the one year she held the position, she was embroiled in a number of controversies and scandals.
In July, Abigail Jackson, who was Caroline Levitt's deputy, also left her post, which further complicated the situation with the personnel in the Trump administration. Officially, Jackson resigned from her post to move to the private sector, and there was no report of her possible conflict with the president or her direct superiors, the American media recall.
Levitt announced that she was leaving her post the day after it became clear that Trump had left the NATO summit in Ankara in July not on the plane in which all the journalists accompanying him were traveling, but on another plane due to an alleged threat to him. Until then, there had been talk of such a threat, but it was assumed that Trump had traveled with the journalists from Ankara to the UK on the old presidential plane and only in England had he changed it to the new one. A publication in the “Washington Post“ revealed on Monday that, in fact, before taking off from Ankara, Trump was discreetly removed from the plane in which the journalists were traveling and put on another plane. The journalists were completely unaware of this. In addition, the publication makes it clear that they were left to travel on the plane at a time when Trump's team believed that he was at risk of attack.
Who will replace Levitt in the post
Trump will have a hard time replacing the combination of skills that Levitt possesses, CNN notes. In front of the cameras, she expresses the ideas of the “Make America Great Again” movement more freely than anyone else, except for the president himself. Trump supporters like her a lot, the publication also writes.
During Levitt's maternity leave, various cabinet ministers took turns giving periodic press conferences, the American media recall and suggest that this mechanism may be maintained until the parliamentary elections and only after them Trump will appoint a new press secretary, CNN points out.
According to the British newspaper “Independent“ Trump had no plan at all to replace Levitt and in fact her resignation caught him unprepared. According to “The Guardian“ whoever comes to office, he will again circulate statements that distort reality.
The Irish newspaper “Irish Star“ develops the thesis that Levitt actually suffered from burnout and discovered it when she returned to work after maternity leave. But on the other hand, as Trump himself has said, Levitt's role now will be to help Republicans achieve a convincing victory in the November elections. Trump may have decided that the prospects for Republican candidates in this midterm election are starting to look so uncertain that he actually needs Levitt's skills in campaigning more urgently than in the White House, the publication points out.
The BBC and the “Washington Post“ present a list of potential replacements for Levitt. First on the list is Alina Haba. Haba, 42, joined Trump's personal legal team in 2021, after she reportedly met him at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. She later represented Trump in the case of concealing payments to a porn actress, for which Trump was found guilty in 2024. Trump appealed that ruling. In the first few months after Trump returned to the White House, Haba served as an adviser to the president, and Trump described her as a person of "unwavering loyalty" and a "tireless defender of justice." Trump then chose Haba to be New Jersey's attorney general. But a district court rejected her nomination. Trump then appointed her to a position that allowed her to temporarily serve as prosecutor, leading to a legal battle over her right to hold the position. Haba resigned in December.
Levitt's potential replacement is Katie Miller. Miller, 34, is married to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the conservative politician who has spearheaded President Trump's tough immigration policies. Miller previously served as press secretary to former Vice President Mike Pence from 2019 to 2020 and then as his communications director from 2020 to 2021. Miller was also communications director for the agency run by billionaire Elon Musk to cut spending and staff at the federal government. She has also hosted a podcast aimed at conservative women and working mothers since last year.
Also on the list is Anna Kelly, 29, who is currently deputy White House press secretary and was a de facto subordinate to Levitt. Kelly is a former regional beauty queen and a former national press secretary for the Republican National Committee. She worked for Congressman Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.
The list includes Sage Steele, a 53-year-old former television anchor and sportswriter who campaigned for Trump in the 2024 election and is a prominent figure in conservative media. She has hosted several sports shows and the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Also on the list is Stephen Chung, the White House communications director and longtime Trump adviser known for his confrontational approach to the media and his fiery defense of the president. Chung joined Trump's campaign in 2016 and later became the director of the rapid response team during his first term. Chung left the White House in 2018 and founded a private firm that worked with Trump’s 2020 campaign.
Also on the list is Tricia McLaughlin. She is known to have been born in either 1994 or 1995. She is a former assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, and in that position was known for her fierce defense of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. She has largely remained out of the public eye since leaving office in February. McLaughlin, however, has extensive political experience dating back to Trump’s first term, when she held various positions at the Treasury Department and the State Department. McLaughlin was a political commentator for "ABC News" and served as communications director for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Vivek Ramaswamy's short-lived presidential campaign.
Also on the list is political commentator Scott Jennings, who has become a defender of the Trump administration at CNN, where he is a senior political analyst. This has earned him widespread approval among many of the president's supporters, whom he criticized years ago. Jeggings has significant political experience, having worked on four presidential campaigns. He also worked on three of Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell's campaigns and is considered a close ally of the former Republican leader. Trump has publicly praised Jennings, who last year published a book titled: “Common Sense Revolution: How Donald Trump Storms Washington and Fights for Western Civilization“.
A few more journalistic names mentioned recently
Recently, the media has often talked about the conservative Laura Loomer, a podcaster and influencer who in the past criticized the war in Ukraine, but gradually underwent a turnaround and even recently visited Kiev, interviewed Volodymyr Zelensky and today admitted that she was wrong in her assessment of what was happening in the former Soviet republic. Could this turnaround in Loomer's positions earn her a position in the Trump administration, the “Times” asks and the publication “PR Week“.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order regarding childhood vaccinations, and then during this ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, a young lady attracted attention. She stood behind Trump, nodded approvingly and from time to time placed a hand on her stomach, as if to show that Trump's executive order would protect an imaginary child from some danger. Many were interested in who the young lady was, and it became clear that this was 28-year-old Jamie Franklin, president and CEO of the conservative media “Conservative“, aimed primarily at conservative Christian women, points out “Sun“. Previously, she worked for conservative media outlets, including “Fox News“, and was a coordinator in Trump's election campaign for the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. During Trump's first term, she was the director of the White House Correspondence Unit, recalls the “Independent“. Today, she appears as a commentator for “Fox News“.
What was Jamie Franklin looking for during the ceremony of signing an executive order by Trump, American media are asking. Was her presence there a coincidence two days before Levitt's resignation was announced? Franklin herself now says only that it was an honor for her to attend this ceremony and that she held her hand on her stomach because she is pregnant with her first child.