Karoline Leavitt Says 'There's Nothing Better Than Being a Mom' After Ditching White House Press Secretary Role

Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that leaving her role to focus on her family was the right choice for her.

"There is nothing better than being a mom. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Leavitt, 29, wrote in the caption of a post she made on Instagram sharing footage from a Turning Point USA event where she discusses motherhood.

When talking to the audience, Leavitt shared that young women are often warned about how hard it is to take care of children. "As a young woman, you're often told, 'Kids are so much work. Kids are so exhausting. Wait to have kids. They change your life,'" Leavitt said.

She added, "They do change your life for the better in every way. I love my babies so much. I can't wait to run home after this and snuggle them. They're going to be sleeping, and I'm still going to kiss them. It is the most amazing love."

Leavitt described the relationship between a mother and her child as unique. "There is nothing like it on planet Earth and I firmly believe having a baby is the closest experience to heaven on earth that God can give us," she said.

Leavitt added, "It is a biblical calling, it is a blessing, and it is why I chose to step away from my job."

Leavitt explained that leaving the White House was "the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life because I loved my job and I love the president."

She said she struggled to balance motherhood with "this very high-pressure, 24/7 all-consuming role" after giving birth to her second child.

Leavitt explained that she came to realize she could be replaced at the White House but not as a mom. "There's people who can be the White House press secretary," Leavitt said. "But there are people out there, OK?"

She added that there's "only one person who can be a mom to my kids, especially at this time."

"It took me a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of prayers, a lot of talks with my husband and my own mother to come to that decision," she said. "It was not an easy one to make, to go to the President of the United States and say, 'Sir, I love you, but I have to go home.'"

Leavitt announced on Wednesday, August 12, that she would leave at the end of August, saying she couldn't "be the best mom my two young children deserve" with the pressures of the job. She was the first White House press secretary to give birth while holding the position, after having her daughter, Viviana, in May, and she was also the youngest person to serve in the role.

Along with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, she also has a son, Niko, who was born in July 2024. Since she departed from the administration, she has continued to post about being a mom, including a rare photo of Viviana.

In the video, she said the administration was "working on finding" a replacement for her as press secretary. Trump appointed Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator, as press secretary, but she was fired after five days.

After leaving the administration, Leavitt began working for Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., and she has also signed on as a Fox News contributor.