Erika Kirk, the CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA, publicly celebrated Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, hours after the White House Press Secretary announced she is stepping down from her post at the end of the month. Kirk’s tribute, posted to X, honored Leavitt’s history-making tenure and framed her departure not as an ending, but as the next chapter in a life defined by faith, motherhood, and public service.
The celebration capped a whirlwind afternoon in Washington. Leavitt confirmed her own departure at 2:42 p.m. Wednesday in a lengthy post on X, just minutes after President Donald Trump broke the news himself on Truth Social. By 7:34 p.m. that evening, Kirk had added her voice to the wave of tributes pouring in for the 28-year-old spokeswoman, whom she has appeared alongside at Turning Point USA events earlier this year.
Erika Kirk’s Full Statement
Kirk’s post, shared to her more than sizable following on X, read in full: “Congratulations to @PressSec @karolineleavitt on an extraordinary chapter of service to our country. Karoline is the youngest White House Press Secretary in American history and she brought tenacity, grace, and the joy of the Lord when she walked into that briefing room every day. She showed millions of young Americans what strong leadership looks like and I am so proud of her. Family always comes first. There is wisdom and strength in knowing what season God is calling you into and having the courage to follow it. Karoline, thank you for your service to @POTUS and our country, and for being such a powerful example to the young people watching you. Your family is blessed to have you and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for you next.”
Kirk’s message wove together three themes that have defined much of her own public voice since taking over leadership of Turning Point USA: faith, family, and the visibility of young conservative women in positions of power. Rather than simply congratulating Leavitt on her time in office, Kirk cast her exit as a model for other young women watching, describing her as someone who “showed millions of young Americans what strong leadership looks like.”
Leavitt’s Own Words On Leaving The Podium
Leavitt’s announcement, posted at 2:42 p.m. Wednesday, arrived just minutes after Trump revealed the move on Truth Social. Her statement read in full: “Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime. I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for granting me so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours in the Oval Office, flying around the world and meeting foreign leaders, and traveling across our beautiful country and meeting Americans from all walks of life. Most of all, I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium. I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes. Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least. 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. President Trump has asked me to continue serving as a top advisor to him on the outside, and I will always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party. Our country is facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party that seeks to destroy everything great about America, and I believe it is incumbent upon all of us who care about this country to fight back against that threat. My fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over. Thank you again to the President, the First Lady, and the entire Trump family for your kindness and generosity over the years. Thank you to our amazing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for empowering me since the day she hired me on the campaign, and to the President’s cabinet, my staff, colleagues, and friends at the White House who work so hard on behalf of our nation. It has been a privilege to serve alongside so many accomplished and impressive people, and I look forward to cheering them on over the next two and a half years.”
[Source: X/@karolineleavitt]
A Historic Run At The Podium
Leavitt made history in November 2024 when President-elect Trump named her his White House press secretary, making her, at 27, the youngest person ever to hold the position. Since taking the podium at the start of Trump’s second term, she has become one of only eight women in American history to serve as White House press secretary, following in the footsteps of predecessors including Karine Jean-Pierre, who served under President Joe Biden.
Leavitt’s tenure also broke new ground on the personal front. She gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Viviana, on May 1, 2026, making her the first White House press secretary in history to give birth while actively serving in the role. She returned to the briefing room podium on July 16, just weeks before announcing her departure.
Her path to the West Wing began years earlier, in the first Trump administration, when she interned in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence before becoming an assistant press secretary in June 2020. She went on to run unsuccessfully for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022 before joining Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign as national press secretary, a role that laid the groundwork for her historic West Wing appointment.
Trump’s Announcement And Leavitt’s Next Chapter
President Trump announced Leavitt’s departure at 2:34 p.m. Wednesday in a Truth Social post praising her tenure. “Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect!” Trump wrote. He added that Leavitt “will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”
Vice President JD Vance also offered praise Wednesday, writing on X that Leavitt “has one of the hardest jobs in the Administration,” and adding that he understood “how difficult yet rewarding a constant job like this can be for a young parent.”
Erika Kirk And Karoline Leavitt’s Shared Public Moments
Kirk’s tribute to Leavitt follows a friendship that has played out in public view over the course of 2026. The two appeared together in April at a Turning Point USA stop at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, part of the organization’s spring tour, where they discussed Leavitt’s path to becoming the youngest press secretary in history, the pressures of a 24/7 news cycle, and how she leaned on her Christian faith to balance motherhood with one of the most demanding jobs in politics.
That shared appearance, at which Leavitt was visibly pregnant with her second child, set the stage for the themes Kirk would echo in her farewell message months later — the intertwining of faith, family, and public leadership that both women have made central to their public personas.
Who Is Erika Kirk
Kirk is the CEO and Chair of the Board of Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization founded by her late husband, Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah university in 2025. Since stepping into leadership of the organization, Erika Kirk has become one of the most prominent women in conservative media and politics, frequently speaking on faith, motherhood, and leadership to young audiences across the country. She was also appointed by President Trump to the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, a 16-member panel that makes recommendations to the Secretary of Defense on matters affecting the academy.
A Notable Moment For Women In The Trump Administration
Leavitt’s exit adds her to a growing list of women who have left prominent posts in the Trump administration this year, following the departures of Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — each of whom has been replaced by a man.
As of Wednesday, the White House had not named a successor to fill the briefing room role once Leavitt’s departure takes effect at the end of August. During her recent maternity leave, briefings had grown less frequent, with the podium filled on a rotating basis by senior officials including Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Looking Ahead
For Kirk, Leavitt’s next chapter appears to be one worth watching closely. Her closing words in Wednesday’s tribute — “I cannot wait to see what God has in store for you next” — echoed a broader message she has carried throughout her leadership of Turning Point USA: that young conservative women stepping away from institutional roles are not retreating from public life, but redirecting it. For Leavitt, who says she will remain “a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party” as a top outside adviser to the president, that next season begins at the end of August, just as the midterm campaign moves into its final stretch.