By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-13 21:28:32 | Updated at 2026-08-14 00:54:30
4 hours ago
When White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the news of her departure from her job online, her lengthy statement explained that she needed to spend more time with her family.
'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,' the 28-year-old wrote Wednesday afternoon.
The news dropped like a bomb on Washington – but the selection of photos in the post are making headlines of their own.
Leavitt appeared to use AI to edit one of the photos included in her announcement. The post even included a 'made with AI' mark.
The first image showed Trump and Leavitt taking questions from a field of reporters just outside the White House. Her face and body appear to be altered in that photo – and even the President's face looks slightly different.
Specifically, Leavitt's face, the angle of her chin, and her chest and waistline all look edited when looking at the same photo that was taken by a Getty photographer on July 15 of last year.
Leavitt's cheekbones appear to be higher, her face is tilted in a completely different angle and her hair even appears fuller.
The news of Leavitt's departure resulted in a flood of even more images of the press secretary and her supporters, with many saying they were sad to see her go.
The selection of photos in Karoline Leavitt's post announcing she is stepping down as press secretary are making headlines of their own (the original Getty image is seen left, compared to the image Leavitt posted)
The image showed Trump and Leavitt taking questions from a field of reporters just outside the White House. Her face and body appear to be altered in that photo
Leavitt, above with her son Niko, has spent months mulling whether to leave, say insiders
The mother of two with the President at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Tuesday
Leavitt has not responded to questions about possibly using AI in her posts.
Meanwhile, multiple insiders tell the Daily Mail that Leavitt's decision to quit has actually been months in the making – and deeply pained.
'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,' she wrote Wednesday.
The mother of two had returned from maternity leave on July 16 after giving birth to her daughter in May. She also has a two-year-old son with her husband Nicholas Riccio, 60.
One source close to Leavitt – the youngest ever White House press secretary – reveals she had been strongly weighing whether to quit during maternity leave, as the President would contact her often and repeatedly ask when she was coming back.
'No doubt one of the hardest decisions of her life so far,' the source said.
Another source detailed an extreme 'burnout' in the few weeks since Leavitt had returned to work.
'It was a very stressful job to do with her children. She never got any sleep, and she didn't want her performance to slip either, so she decided to stay as long as she could and do the job well,' the source said. 'The President did everything he could to keep her.'
Leavitt taking questions from reporters on July 16, the day she returned from maternity leave
Leavitt gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in May
There's been much speculation on who will take over Leavitt's front-running role. Above, some of Leavitt's colleagues, including assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers (far left), Liz Huston (second from right) and principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly (far right)
'It's a thankless job, and these are some big shoes to fill,' another insider said. 'I do know that the replacement isn't chosen just yet. They are still weighing their options.'
Another source says that, after returning from maternity leave, Leavitt very quickly realized she definitely needed out.
'First week back she realized she wasn't feeling it anymore,' the source said.
'Trump really didn't want her to leave as he actually trusts her and doesn't like having to deal with new people in his circle when he wants to focus on getting stuff done in his time left in office.'
