- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of August to spend time with her family, President Donald Trump announced.
- The White House does not plan to immediately name a replacement, choosing instead to continue briefings led by senior administration officials such as Vice President JD Vance, a White House official told The Independent
- At 28, Leavitt is the youngest person to hold the role of White House press secretary and served longer in the position under Trump than any spokesperson except Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
- Leavitt's combative tenure was marked by frequent clashes with reporters, including barring The Associated Press from the Oval Office over a naming dispute involving the Gulf of Mexico.
- Although leaving the press secretary role temporarily vacant is rare for a presidential administration, several media personalities and officials are being considered as potential long-term replacements.
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