She was one of the faces of Donald Trump’s return to power: Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the White House and a loyal supporter of the American president, will leave her position at the end of the month to devote herself to her family.
The 28-year-old Republican, mother of two children, however, promised to continue to play an active political role. In a message announcing her departure on social networks, she slams the “existential threat” posed, according to her, by an “ever more extremist Democratic Party”, and declares: “My fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over.”
Donald Trump specified on his Truth Social network that this faithful ally would leave her post “at the end of the month”, and indicated that she would continue to play a role of privileged “external advisor” to him.
“I felt deep in my heart that I could not be the mother that my two young children deserve while devoting the time, energy and constant attention required to my role as spokesperson,” the outgoing “Press Secretary” wrote on X.
Donald Trump “totally respects his decision”
Already the mother of a boy born in 2024, she gave birth to a little girl in early May, and then took maternity leave for a few weeks. She is married to Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer. She is the youngest person ever appointed to this highly exposed position.
After her first childbirth, Karoline Leavitt resumed her work within Donald Trump’s campaign team after only a few days, a return precipitated by the assassination attempt, which the Republican candidate was the victim of on July 13, 2024.
“I understand and I totally respect his decision,” declared the American president on Wednesday, in a very laudatory message, where he praised the “phenomenal” work of his spokesperson.
This native of New Hampshire (north-east), whose meteoric rise alongside Donald Trump illustrated the diffusion of Trumpist ideas among “Gen Z”, has piloted an aggressive communications strategy.
Occasionally sporting a clearly visible cross, this blonde-haired Catholic unleashed her scathing sense of repartee against the traditional media from the podium of the famous blue-toned press room. On the contrary, she gave a warm welcome to influencers and content creators aligned with the Maga ideology (Make America Great Again, Donald Trump’s movement).
Accused of spreading Donald Trump’s lies
“It was with pleasure that I held the left-wing media accountable and ensured that Americans learned the truth about President Trump’s successes,” she wrote on X on Wednesday.
Donald Trump’s opponents have, on the contrary, accused her of spreading without hesitation the false assertions of the Republican billionaire.
His departure comes shortly before crucial legislative elections in November and at a time when the popularity of the American president continues to decline.
The hitherto unwavering loyalty of Karoline Leavitt – the main recruitment criterion in the new Trump administration – is not new. While a student at Saint Anselm University (New Hampshire, northeast), she sent a letter to the establishment’s newspaper in September 2017 to be outraged that a professor had criticized Donald Trump in class and to deplore that the teaching staff “spread their (progressive) beliefs and opinions during classes.”
Karoline Leavitt had unsuccessfully run for a seat in Congress in 2022. According to the news site Notus, which relies on financial documents, she had accepted $200,000 in donations during her campaign, exceeding the legal limits, and had not declared them subsequently.
With AFP
