At 28, Leavitt became the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary. She was also the first person to give birth while holding the position.

Trump announced that Leavitt would leave the role at the end of August to spend more time with her family. He said she would remain one of his top outside advisers and continue to be an influential voice within the Republican Party.

Leavitt has served as press secretary since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. She became his second-longest-serving press secretary, behind Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who held the position from 2017 to 2019.

Here are five moments that came to define her tenure.

Opening the Briefing Room to Influencers

One of Leavitt’s first major moves was to introduce a “new media seat” in the White House briefing room.

Working with White House communications director Steven Cheung, Leavitt helped reshape the administration’s already confrontational relationship with traditional media.

The administration also changed how journalists were selected for access to the president, challenging a long-standing system managed by the independent White House Correspondents’ Association.

The traditional press pool operates on a rotating basis, allowing different news organisations to cover the president and share access with other journalists.

Leavitt said the White House wanted to give greater space to independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators.

“We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House,” she said in January 2025.

Supporters viewed the move as recognition of a changing media landscape, while critics argued that the administration was using access to reward media outlets considered friendly to Trump.

The “Gulf of America” Dispute

Another major confrontation involved Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America”.

While the administration adopted the new name, several news organisations, including the Associated Press, continued using “Gulf of Mexico” in their reporting.

The AP’s decision triggered a fierce response from the White House, which accused the news agency of “irresponsible and dishonest” reporting.

The administration subsequently restricted AP journalists’ access to certain areas traditionally available to members of the White House press pool.

The dispute became another example of the increasingly tense relationship between the Trump administration and established news organisations, with Leavitt playing a prominent role in defending the White House position.

Fierce Defence of Trump

Throughout her tenure, Leavitt became one of Trump’s most vocal defenders.

At briefings, she frequently challenged journalists who questioned the president’s policies, decisions or statements and presented the administration’s position in direct and combative terms.

Her approach reflected Trump’s own longstanding criticism of mainstream media and his preference for directly challenging journalists he viewed as hostile to his administration.

Leavitt’s supporters praised her willingness to confront the press, while critics accused her of repeating misleading or unsubstantiated claims from the White House podium.

Embracing “New Media”

Leavitt’s tenure also reflected the Trump administration’s growing reliance on podcasts, online personalities and independent digital outlets.

By opening the briefing room to creators and podcasters, the White House sought to broaden its relationship with audiences beyond traditional newspapers and television networks.

The strategy helped give online personalities greater visibility inside the White House while further weakening the traditional distinction between political communication and the established press.

For Leavitt, this approach was part of a broader effort to challenge what the administration viewed as the dominance of traditional media over political coverage.

Balancing Politics and Family

Leavitt’s departure is also notable because of the personal demands she faced while serving as press secretary.

She had her first child during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and welcomed her second child in May 2026.

She became the first White House press secretary in history to give birth while serving in the position.

Trump said she was leaving the job primarily to spend more time with her family, while also retaining a political role as one of his outside advisers.

Her departure will make Trump’s next press secretary his sixth across his two presidential terms. He has not yet announced who will replace her.

Leavitt leaves the briefing room after a tenure that closely reflected Trump’s communication style: combative, politically charged and openly hostile toward parts of the traditional media establishment.