Was Karoline Leavitt Fired? She Will Be Absent From the Press Podium Soon

The White House press secretary exists to promote the president's agenda and to answer questions from the press. Over the course of Trump's second term, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has done exactly that and become an undeniably effective mouthpiece on behalf of Donald Trump, which often means being openly combative to the press.

Recently, though, rumors have begun to swirl that Leavitt was fired from her job as press secretary, which would come after Trump also fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Here's what we know about whether those rumors are true.

No, Karoline Leavitt remains Donald Trump's press secretary. There was an incident a few weeks ago where Trump jokingly suggested that he would fire Leavitt because of all the bad press coverage he receives, but it was clear even at the time that he wasn't serious. “I got 93 percent bad publicity,” Trump told reporters in March. “Some people say 97, but between 93 and 97. A person that gets 97 percent — maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know."

“You’re doing a terrible job,” he joked. “Should we keep her? I think we’ll keep her." It's unclear where he got those coverage statistics, but Karoline has continued on in her role since Trump made that joke.

While Karoline has not been fired, though, she is getting ready to head out on maternity leave, which has left many wondering what that might mean for the role of press secretary in her absence.

We don't actually know much about who might replace Leavitt while she's on maternity leave or how long she plans to be away from her job. She's the first person ever to be pregnant while serving as press secretary, and she's already had one child while working for Trump. Her first son was born on July 10, 2024, and President Trump survived an assassination attempt just three days later. As a result, Leavitt took just four days off before returning to work, although it was supposed to be more.

Circumstances this time around are unlikely to be that dramatic, so we don't know how long Leavitt might be away from her post. In the meantime, the likeliest candidates to serve in the position in her stead are either Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers, or Regional Press Secretary Liz Huston.

Leavitt is set to have the baby in May, and it seems like both President Trump and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles have been supportive of Leavitt's decision to have children while serving in the role. Given that support, Leavitt will likely be gone for at least a few weeks, although it could be even longer.

For now, though, she has not been fired from the role of press secretary. Regardless of whether you approve of her politics, she has been an undeniably effective spokesperson for the president thus far.