Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt leaving role, president says – as it happened

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Aug 13, 2026 · 5782 words · By Tom Ambrose; Shrai Popat; Lucy Campbell; Robert Mackey; Rachel Leingang; Joseph Gedeon; George Chidi

Hatch Act Compliance Truthfulness of Trump Administration US-Iran Conflict and Military Readiness Progressive vs Moderate Democratic Politics

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What to know about Hatch Act Compliance

Trump says press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave role to spend more time with family Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, will leave her role at the end of this month to spend more time with her family, including her two young children,…

Claims checked 25

Techniques found 4

Topics 4

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The president said on social media that it was a “decision I totally understand and respect”, while adding that Leavitt would become one of his “top outside advisors” when she leaves the administration.

Common ground

Leavitt was 27 when she assumed the role of press secretary at the beginning of Trump’s second term.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Hatch Act Compliance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Leavitt was 27 when she assumed the role of press secretary at the beginning of Trump’s second term?
How does this story connect Hatch Act Compliance with Truthfulness of Trump Administration over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/aug/12/donald-trump-air-force-one-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 95% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 80% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 25 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 15

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified

Claim 1: “Leavitt was 27 when she assumed the role of press secretary at the beginning of Trump’s second term.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Karoline Leavitt was born on August 24, 1997, and served as press secretary starting in January 2025, making her 27 years old at the start of the term.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — At 80 years old, Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, became the oldest person in American history to become president upon his second inauguration in 2025. In July 2024, fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_and_health_concerns_about_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) ran a successful campaign for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. He formally announced his campaign on November 15, 2022, initially …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_2024_presidential…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Karoline Claire Leavitt (, LEV-it; born August 24, 1997) is an American political spokesperson who served as the 36th White House press secretary from January 2025 to August 2026. A member of the Repu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoline_Leavitt

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “the US has likely fired more than half of its most advanced Patriot air defense interceptors and about 40% of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) interceptors”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Following her defeat for the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin governor, Francesca Hong said that she would support David Crowley”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia and news reports confirm Francesca Hong lost the Democratic primary to David Crowley and subsequently endorsed him for governor.

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web search NEUTRAL — Francesca Hong is an American politician, former chef, and business owner who has represented Wisconsin's 76th Assembly district in the Wisconsin State Assembly since 2021.losing the Democratic primar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_Hong

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web search NEUTRAL — Democratic socialist Francesca Hong on Wednesday endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley for governor, after he pulled off an upset against her to win the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin…
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/hong-endorses-crowle…

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web search NEUTRAL — David Crowley’s campaign rose from the dead and saved the Democratic establishment in Wisconsin — defeating democratic socialist Francesca Hong for the Democratic nomination in the state’s gubernatori…
https://www.notus.org/2026-election/wisconsin-governor-crowl…

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Claim 4: “Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, will leave her role at the end of this month”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including a Wikipedia entry and news reports, confirm that Karoline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretary at the end of August 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On the evening of April 25, 2026, gunshots were fired near the main security screening area for the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. President Don…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_White_House_Correspondent…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Associated Press v. Taylor Budowich, Karoline C. Leavitt, and Susan Wiles is a pending court case before a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press_v._Budowich

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, called on his Republican challenger, congressman Mike Collins, to retract support he expressed one day earlier for a government fund to compensate January 6 rioters”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that Senator Jon Ossoff called on Congressman Mike Collins to retract support for a fund to compensate January 6 rioters.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Previously, Ossoff worked as a national security staffer and legislative assistant for U.S. representative Hank Johnson. Afterward, he was managing director of an investigative documentary production …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Ossoff

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web search NEUTRAL — 6 rioter over compensation fund.Ossoff has separately called on Collins to publicly retract what the senator characterized as support for taxpayer-funded payments to people who participated in the Cap…
https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/mike-collins-attempts-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is a Democrat, flipped the seat in early 2021 and is currently trying to win another full term in office. But as the only incumbent Democratic senator running for reelection …
https://www.wabe.org/collins-tells-pardoned-jan-6-defendant-…

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Claim 6: “Tiffany voted against certifying the 2020 election”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Sarah Huckabee Sanders... insisted to reporters that FBI agents were privately delighted that Trump had fired FBI director James Comey.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “Sanders later admitted to the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election... that she invented this claim.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 9: “She was previously a press aide during the first Trump administration”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian and other web results confirm she served as a press aide and speechwriter during Donald Trump's first administration.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — During and between his terms as president of the United States, Donald Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims. Fact-checkers at The Washington Post documented 30,573 false or m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “The US military is “dangerously low” on missiles used in the US-Israel war on Iran, according to an analysis from Bloomberg Economics.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “In 2018... Grisham insisted... that Trump was telling the truth when he claimed that he “predicted” the results of the 2016 Brexit referendum the day before the vote during a visit to Scotland.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “a comprehensive report issued in September 2025 by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), showed that not a penny of the $60.8m in contraceptive and condom shipments funded by the US in the past year went to Gaza.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “Donald Trump signed a national security presidential memorandum (NSPM) on Wednesday aimed at empowering federal law enforcement to use cyber tools against transnational criminal organizations”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “Trump had actually visited arrived in Scotland the morning after the vote”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “Karoline Leavitt appeared in the White House briefing room for the first time as press secretary, on 28 January 2025”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 16: “Sean Spicer... [claimed] “this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration – period – both in person and around the globe.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results for this specific claim, although it is a known historical event in general knowledge; however, per instructions, I must rely on provided evidence.

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Claim 17: “She is the youngest person in US history to hold the role.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly state that Karoline Leavitt is the youngest person to ever serve as White House press secretary.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White House communications director, known officially as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the president of the United States. The officeholder is respo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Communications_Dir…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 18: “launching an unsuccessful bid for a US House seat in New Hampshire”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including The Independent and Wikipedia, confirm she ran an unsuccessful campaign for a US House seat in New Hampshire's 1st district in 2022.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gulf of Mexico became the center of a geographical naming dispute in the United States when U.S. president Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14172 directing U.S. federal agencies to refer to it …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico_naming_controve…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 19: “Kayleigh McEnany... claimed [the president doesn't use the term 'kung flu'], two days after he had clearly used that term at a rally in Oklahoma.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 20: “she claimed that the Biden administration had planned to use $50m in taxpayer dollars to send condoms to Gaza.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding $50m for condoms in Gaza.

schedule

Claim 21: “Dominic Box... was convicted of six federal charges before being pardoned by Donald Trump”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 22: “Crowley, the Milwaukee county executive, had exited the race in early July, only to re-enter late in the month”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 23: “Trump claimed the power to unilaterally change the name of the international body of water [Gulf of Mexico] to the “Gulf of America””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 24: “Leavitt gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in May of this year”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources confirm she gave birth to her daughter, Viviana, on May 1, and that this was her second child.

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web search NEUTRAL — On May 1, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave birth to her daughter Viviana, becoming the first person to deliver a child while serving in the role.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/karoline-leavitt-welc…

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web search NEUTRAL — On May 1, Leavitt gave birth to her daughter Viviana, her second child with husband Nicholas Riccio, 60.Leavitt made history when she became White House press secretary in January 2025, taking on the …
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/karoline-leavitt-resigning-white-h…

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web search NEUTRAL — Leavitt gave birth to a daughter, Viviana, on May 1. "She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister," Leavitt wrote on Instagram.
https://www.businessinsider.com/karoline-leavitt-white-house…

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Claim 25: “David Crowley eked out a win by a few thousand votes over Hong”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.