White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her role after 19 months. Throughout her tenure, Leavitt frequently echoed President Donald Trump’s criticisms of the media and oversaw initiatives aimed at shaping the press pool.

In a statement announcing her departure, Leavitt said, “I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes.”

Leavitt's time as press secretary was marked by numerous exchanges that drew public attention. In October 2025, when a reporter inquired about the location of a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Leavitt responded via text message with, “Your mom did.” When pressed further, she reportedly called the reporter a “far left hack” and characterized his questions as “disingenuous, biased, and bullshit.”

During press briefings, Leavitt at times appeared to ignore reporters or responded with sharp remarks. In April 2025, she reportedly left the podium after reporters raised their hands to ask questions. In a January 2026 briefing, when pressed by The Hill’s Niall Stanage on statistics regarding deaths and detentions in ICE custody, Leavitt deflected by accusing Stanage of being a “biased reporter with a left-wing opinion.”

Leavitt also addressed contentious issues, such as protests surrounding a military parade in June 2025. When a reporter asked if peaceful protests would be allowed, Leavitt initially affirmed that the president supported peaceful demonstrations but then added, “What a stupid question.”

She also engaged with reporting on intelligence assessments. After CNN national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand published a report on a Pentagon assessment of strikes on Iran, Leavitt singled out Bertrand in a briefing.

Changes to Press Pool and Briefings

Leavitt's tenure also coincided with shifts in the White House press pool and briefing room operations. At the start of Trump's second term, the White House press team began determining pool membership, a responsibility previously held by the White House Correspondents’ Association. The administration subsequently limited participation for some publications and invited conservative outlets. A “new media” seat was added to the briefing room, sometimes allocated to right-wing commentators, and Leavitt also held special briefings for MAGA influencers.

These changes occurred alongside new restrictions for the Pentagon's press corps. In February 2025, The Associated Press was barred from certain events after refusing to alter its style guide, leading to a legal dispute. The Wall Street Journal was also temporarily removed from the White House press pool in July 2025 following its reporting on a note allegedly written by Trump.

Judicial and Policy Statements

Leavitt frequently commented on judicial decisions that were unfavorable to the administration. In March 2025, she called U.S. District Judge James Boasberg a “Democrat activist” after he halted the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. Boasberg had previously ruled in favor of the Trump administration on other matters.

In defense of the administration’s trade policy in March 2025, Leavitt described tariffs as a “tax cut for the American people.” PolitiFact later rated this claim as false, with economists noting that tariffs are typically passed on to consumers.

Leavitt also addressed Trump's social media activity. In November 2025, following Trump's amplification of a post calling for the execution of Democratic members of Congress, Leavitt downplayed his involvement, stating the president was responding to perceived seditious behavior from the members.

She defended the administration’s interactions with Rep. Lauren Boebert in November 2025 regarding a petition related to Jeffrey Epstein files, framing it as an act of transparency.

In May 2025, Leavitt was questioned about a video Trump showed during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The video, which Trump claimed showed the sites of over a thousand victims, was later reported by The New York Times not to depict burial sites but a memorial procession for a murdered couple. Leavitt defended the use of the video, stating it showed "images of crosses in South Africa about white farmers who have been killed and politically persecuted."

Leavitt also responded to a report in The Atlantic concerning an editor’s accidental inclusion in a government chat discussing a strike on Yemen in March 2025, characterizing the story as part of a