President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday afternoon that Karoline Leavitt will be stepping down from her role as White House press secretary.
Leavitt is leaving to spend more time with her family, the president said
Leavitt took maternity leave in April, prompting changes to how press briefings will be handled.
Leavitt gave birth to her second child, a baby girl, a month ago.
In March, it was reported that Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly was widely viewed as a leading internal candidate to step into Leavitt’s role.
She joined the White House in January after serving in senior communications roles at the Republican National Committee and in the House of Representatives, according to a Saturday report.
Kelly also serves as a special assistant to Donald Trump, a role noted on her social media profile and one that places her in close proximity to senior decision-making within the administration.
Her background extends beyond government and political communications.
In 2019, Kelly was crowned Miss State Fair of Virginia, a title she used to promote civic engagement among young Americans.
“In today’s polarized political climate, it is our job to step up to the plate and work to ensure the government we receive is a good one,” she told the Fairfax Times.
“It is my goal as Miss State Fair of Virginia to show young people that, contrary to what they might believe, we do have a voice and it’s about time we used it,” Kelly, a graduate of Auburn University in Alabama, added.
Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers was also viewed as a potential option. A graduate of Clemson University, she joined the White House at the start of Donald Trump’s second term after working for nearly two years at the Republican National Committee.
Rogers has been seen working closely with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, including appearances in the Oval Office, and maintains an active social media presence documenting her role in the administration.
Regional Press Secretary Liz Huston represents another potential candidate. An Indiana University graduate, she joined the administration from StateRAMP, a cybersecurity organization where she worked as a program manager following an internship.
This comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a forceful warning on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, arguing that the United States is confronting what he described as a growing Marxist movement that threatens the nation’s values and institutions.
“The barbarians are in the gate,” Johnson declared during a tense press conference.
“There’s a small number of times in the history of America where the actual experiment in self-governance was on the ballot,” he said.
“The idea that we would preserve a constitutional republic: One nation under God, a government of, by, and for the people. All that is in question right now,” Johnson continued.
“For the first time, really in my lifetime, this is a real question the American people have to decide in November, in a midterm election for Congress and Senate,” he said.
“It’s not something that we would have projected. I hoped and prayed it would never come to this, but here we are. The barbarians are in the gate,” Johnson went on.
The Louisiana Republican and constitutional attorney argued that the upcoming November midterm elections represent far more than a typical political fight over taxes or government regulation.
Instead, Johnson said the country is engaged in what he called a “philosophical war” over America’s future and its founding principles.
According to the DSA’s own platform, the party seeks to:
- Pack the Supreme Court and abolish the Senate to create a Marxist-run legislature.
- Abolishing all borders and granting mass amnesty to everyone, including dangerous criminals and terrorists.
- Emptying the prisons and completely defunding the police.
“This is not a game,” he warned. “Everybody needs to understand: These crazy little mini-Mamdanis, who are popping up all around the country, they are a danger to you and your family.
“This is not a game.”
“We are here as the Republican Party to stand on the founding principles of the greatest nation in the history of the world. It is our duty to do that,” the GOP leader continued.
“And we’re doing it on behalf of all of you, even the journalists who don’t agree with our policies all the time. You’d better agree on these principles because that’s what keeps you free,” he said.
“This is essential for your well-being, and your family. This is not a game,” Johnson said.