Trump announces White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stepping down
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One on Aug. 11, 2026, in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of August “so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family,” President Donald Trump announced in a social media post on Wednesday.
The announcement comes less than a month after Leavitt held her first briefing after returning from maternity leave. Leavitt welcomed her second child in May.
Trump, in his social media post, said her decision is one “I totally understand and respect.”
The president added that Leavitt would continue to be one of his “top outside advisors” and an “influential voice” within the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.
Calling her “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office,” Trump thanked Leavitt for a “job well done.”
Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in history when she assumed the position last year at 27 years old.
Leavitt confirmed her decision to leave in an X post and expressed her gratitude to the president, saying the role has been “the honor and adventure of a lifetime” and thanked the president for the opportunity to work in his administration.
She also pointed to her role as a mother of two as her reason for leaving the role of press secretary, saying it has been “rewarding yet challenging” to balance the two.
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt wrote.
Before serving as press secretary, Leavitt was Trump’s spokesperson during his 2024 presidential campaign and his transition. She also worked in Trump’s first administration and for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Leavitt also ran for Congress in her home state of New Hampshire prior to joining Trump’s 2024 campaign, though she ultimately lost the general election.
It is not immediately clear who Trump will pick to replace her.
While Leavitt was on maternity leave earlier this year, a rotating cast of administration officials held press conferences in the briefing room, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
During Trump’s first term, he had four press secretaries: Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kayleigh McEnany and Stephanie Grisham.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he’s appointing Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence, with Tulsi Gabbard set to leave her post on June 30.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool along the National Mall on Tuesday, July 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C.Rushed work continues at the White House and across the nation’s capital in preparation for the country’s 250 anniversary on July 4. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn appeared in D.C. Superior Court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty through his attorney to the felony charge he faces for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Hearn was seated between his attorneys, Steven Levin and Mary Dohrmann, with another attorney, Norm Eisen, seated behind them in a packed courtroom.
A sizable crowd gathered outside the courtroom and Eisen said that Hearn was being used as a “scapegoat” for the administration’s “failures” on one of Donald Trump’s pet Washington beautification projects.
The Reflecting Pool turned green and pieces of the liner started bubbling up to the surface after it was painted last month. It was plagued with algae and peeling paint since the Trump administration completed the $16 million renovation of the landmark.
President Donald Trump shifted the blame to vandals, without providing evidence. Hearn was among those arrested and Trump threatened 10-year prison terms.
Dohrmann, a former federal prosecutor who previously served on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigative team, entered the not guilty plea on Hearn’s behalf. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Reddington was the lone prosecutor from the Justice Department present at the hearing, which concluded after only 13 minutes.
Judge Carmen McLean ordered Hearn released on his own recognizance and set the next status hearing in the case for Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Hearn was indicted on July 2 for allegedly “maliciously” destroying part of the lining of the Reflecting Pool. The single count of destruction of property — for a 2 square foot section of the massive pool — carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Eisen, an attorney for Hearn, briefly addressed reporters outside of court, drawing cheers from the crowd as he maintained his client’s innocence while declining to discuss substantive details about the case.
“Today, Davey Hearn pled not guilty because he is not guilty,” Eisen said. “If Mr. Hearn can be charged with a felony for touching the Reflecting Pool, every American is at risk and every American should be alarmed about this prosecution. This indictment reflects the administration’s effort to scapegoat Davey and to shift blame for their own failures.”
Eisen previewed an aggressive legal strategy to challenge the legality of the indictment similar to other foes of Trump who have accused the administration of weaponizing the Justice Department against them.
“We anticipate receiving substantial discovery,” Eisen said. “The evidence will establish, as we have stated today, Mr. Hearn is innocent. We will reserve questions about exactly what happened for the trial. That is what the justice system is for.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the indictment in a press conference, alleging that Hearn was “forcefully and violently” pulling up the liner and “damaged approximately 2 square feet of sealant from the bottom of the pool.”
Hearn previously told ABC News that police arrested him after he touched a piece of blue coating that was partially detached from the bottom of the Reflecting Pool. He said he went for a bike ride on June 19 and stopped by the pool as a “curious, concerned citizen.”
“I did not remove, I did not damage, I did not rip, tear, break, destroy or harm any part of the Reflecting Pool,” Hearn told ABC News.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is now being drained after the issues, which Trump blamed on vandals, including one he said used a boxcutter or knife to make a 350-foot gash in the pool. When asked by ABC News last Thursday about the president’s claim, Pirro said, “Someone intentionally did a tremendous amount of damage to the pool, and you can actually see where all the cutting is.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep Randy Feenstra speaks to guests during a campaign event at the Silo City farm on May 30, 2026, near Sioux Rapids, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The results of House, governor and mayoral primary elections in six states on Tuesday night show some promising signs for incumbents and the Democratic establishment and the potential limits of an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
They also show what a key toss-up race jolted by a congressman’s absence will look like in the November midterms.
Here are some takeaways from the June 2 primaries.
Karen Bass is first LA mayor in more than 20 years to face runoff
In Los Angeles’ closely watched nonpartisan mayoral primary race, embattled incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has reason for enthusiasm after months of uncertainty, while reality star Spencer Pratt still has to play the waiting game, although he appears to have put up a strong showing. ABC News projected on Tuesday that Bass will advance to a runoff in November, meaning she will have a shot to keep her seat.
Bass, the first woman and second African American elected to lead the city, is the first Los Angeles mayor to face a runoff in more than two decades.
Bass dedicated her reelection campaign to emphasizing her past experience and achievements in the role, but faced scrutiny over her record and battled criticism for her handling of last year’s Los Angeles wildfires. Bass, who was away from the city on a planned diplomatic trip to Ghana when the Palisades Fire first erupted, has pushed back on criticism over her management of the fire, saying earlier this year that her focus “is on the lives and on the homes.”
Criticism of Bass gave an opening to Spencer Pratt, the former star of “The Hills,” who ran a campaign focused on calling out Bass’ handling of the fires and saying that he’d fix a city he felt had become broken.
It’s still unclear if Pratt will advance to the next round with Bass, or whether progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman will end up in the runoff. As of Wednesday morning, Pratt is in second place and leads Raman by around 8 percentage points, but there is still around an estimated 40% of the vote left to be counted.
Pratt’s current second-place position, which could shift, might be read by some as a limit on the allure of celebrity candidates. However, it could also be seen as a sign of the strength of Pratt running a campaign with a clear message and going beyond relying just on name recognition.
In the state’s marquee race for governor, meanwhile, it’s still too early to tell which candidates will advance in the top-two primary — with many mail ballots still to be counted.
As of Wednesday morning, Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton and former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, have the most votes, with billionaire businessman Tom Steyer — a Democratic candidate who spent tens of millions in the race — running behind them.
In Iowa, a loss for Trump-supported candidate in gubernatorial primary and potential win for the Democratic establishment
Trump’s key endorsements during the 2026 election cycle have usually resulted in wins for his preferred candidates, including in Kentucky’s recent 4th Congressional District primaries where a Trump-backed challenger unseated the maverick GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.
But one major Trump-backed candidate in Iowa conceded in his primary.
Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, who currently represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District and was mounting a statewide bid for governor, conceded late Tuesday to GOP opponent and “Make America Healthy Again” movement supporter, Zach Lahn, in the gubernatorial primary in Iowa.
As of Wednesday morning, he trailed Lahn by around 1 percentage point.
Lahn will face Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, in November. Democrats have feted Sand as a candidate who can flip the governorship by appealing to voters across the aisle, although he’ll still face an uphill battle in a state that voted for Trump by 13 points in 2024.
Meanwhile, Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek’s projected win by over 20 percentage points in the Iowa Democratic primary for Senate could be seen as a win for establishment Democrats, in a year when progressive challengers have been making waves in primaries across the country and occasionally unseating incumbents.
Turek himself is not an average politician. He has a unique background, as a four-time Paralympian born with spina bifida after his father was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. But he was also, to an extent, seen as the Democratic establishment’s choice, given that he received support from Democratic groups that are aligned with Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who did not formally endorse Turek, and took on positions that tacked to the center.
Turek will face Trump-backed Rep. Ashley Hinson, the projected winner of the Republican primary, in what is set to become one of the most closely watched Senate races of 2026. The seat is opening up as Republican incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring.
Key New Jersey matchup gets set amid Kean’s absence
ABC News has projected that Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, will be the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, in what is set to be a closely watched matchup between incumbent GOP Rep. Tom Kean and Bennett this November — especially given Kean’s unusual absence from Congress for months. Trump has backed Kean regardless of his absence.
New Jersey’s 7th District was already a top target for Democrats this year even before Kean’s disappearance occurred. The district is rated as a toss up-by the Cook Political Report, and Trump just barely carried it in 2024.
Kean flipped the seat in 2022 for Republicans, just a few years after Democrat Tom Malinowski flipped the seat when he won it in 2018. But Kean has been absent from Congress for months, and has not voted since March 5. For weeks, Kean’s office has defended the congressman’s hiatus — telling reporters that he is addressing an unspecific medical issue.
Kean said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, “I am optimistic about the road ahead, and ready to earn the support of voters in every corner of this district.” A spokesperson for Kean also told ABC News that the congressman voted by mail last week.
ABC News’ Emily Chang, Clarissa Gonzalez, Juhi Doshi, Gaby Vinick, Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Jay O’Brien contributed to this report.
