The answer could eventually lead her family hundreds of miles north, to a property with one feature that is surprisingly difficult to find in its neighborhood.

A Major White House Exit and a Deeply Personal Reason Behind It

On August 12, 2026, Leavitt shared the news that she will be stepping down as White House press secretary, posting a lengthy statement to social media alongside the simple caption, “♥️🇺🇸.” In her announcement, she described serving in the role over the previous year and a half as “the honor and adventure of a lifetime.”

Leavitt said she was grateful for extraordinary opportunities that came with the job, from working in the West Wing and spending “countless hours” in the Oval Office to traveling internationally, meeting foreign leaders, and speaking from the White House podium.

She also expressed pride in what she characterized as the administration’s accomplishments and in her role communicating them to the public. But the intensely demanding position had increasingly collided with another important part of her life: motherhood.

“The truth is since [sic] 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,” Leavitt wrote.

She described leaving as a “bittersweet decision” and said US President Donald Trump has asked her to remain a top adviser from outside the administration. Leavitt also thanked Trump and the first lady, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, campaign colleagues, White House staff, and her husband and family.

Trump confirmed the move in his own social-media statement, announcing that Leavitt would depart at the end of August so she can spend more time with her young children and family. Calling her one of his most trusted aides, he said she would continue as one of his top outside advisers.

The departure amounts to a significant change in Trump’s press operation less than three months before the midterm elections. Leavitt, 28, made history not only as the youngest White House press secretary but also as the first woman to be pregnant while holding the position.

She had only recently returned to the briefing-room podium following a short maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter, Viviana, on May 1. Leavitt took roughly a month away from the White House after the birth.

That was still significantly longer than the maternity break she took following the July 2024 birth of her first child, Nicholas, known as Niko.

Leavitt returned to the campaign trail just four days after Niko’s birth, following the assassination attempt on then-candidate Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. She later said in an interview with Megyn Kelly that the extraordinary event “kind of threw me right back to work much sooner than I would have probably expected or hoped.”

The contrast between that intense professional pace and the family scenes Leavitt has shared publicly is striking. On social media, her life away from the podium has included babies, Christmas trees, a light-filled nursery, kitchen cuddles and everyday moments with her husband.

Those images also provide revealing glimpses inside the Washington, DC, residence that has served as the family’s base during her tenure as press secretary, and now, that home may be entering its own transitional period.

Balancing the job with raising two young children had become increasingly difficult for Leavitt. When she returned to the podium after maternity leave, she acknowledged the challenge but described the position as more than employment, saying she viewed it as public service.

Vice President JD Vance likewise described the job as extraordinarily demanding, writing in a post on X that Leavitt had “one of the hardest jobs in the Administration.” He added that he understood how difficult — and rewarding — such a constant role could be for a young parent.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also praised Leavitt following the announcement, describing her as “the best teammate.” In his message on X, he wrote that while her departure is a sad occasion, the team is happy for Leavitt and her family, adding, “It’s never ‘goodbye.’ It’s always ‘see you down the road.'”

The Salary Behind One of Washington’s Most Visible Jobs

The career change also puts renewed attention on the financial side of Leavitt’s high-profile White House position. According to a July 2025 Fox News report based on the administration’s annual salary disclosure, White House salaries ranged from $59,070 to $225,700. Leavitt belonged to a group of 33 staffers earning $195,200 per year.

Before reaching the White House briefing room, Leavitt’s path began far from Washington. She was born in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and was raised there before attending Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, according to a Times of India profile.

She later attended Saint Anselm College on a scholarship for NCAA Division II softball and graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science.

During college, Leavitt interned at Fox News and was vocal about her support for the Trump administration. Her student-newspaper opinion pieces reportedly included a defense of Trump’s travel ban and criticism of the news media.

The summer before her senior year, she interned in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence. After graduating in 2019, she briefly returned to the White House before joining the press office as an assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany. After Trump’s first administration ended, Leavitt worked as communications director for Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.

She then became national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in January 2024. Leavitt also ran for Congress in her native New Hampshire following Trump’s first term, although she lost in the general election.

That continuing connection to her home state becomes particularly interesting now that Washington may no longer need to be the center of her everyday life.

Behind the Doors of Leavitt and Her Family’s Washington Residence

During her time as White House press secretary, Leavitt has been living with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, and their children in a Craftsman Colonial-style home in Washington, DC, according to a March 2025 report by The Mirror.

Built in 2003, the property combines traditional architectural elements with more contemporary conveniences. Its reported features include a swimming pool, spacious gardens, a patio, and large windows that bring substantial natural light into the house.

The home also has hardwood flooring, including throughout the main living areas, while 10-foot ceilings on the principal floor add to the open, airy appearance. The overall look seen in Leavitt’s family photographs leans bright and relaxed rather than overly formal.

White furniture appears repeatedly in the images. One particularly revealing family photo shows a spacious dining-and-living area filled with white chairs, pale surfaces, and abundant daylight pouring through large windows. The setting feels coastal and fresh.

The living room has been described as bright and cozy, centered around a prominent fireplace with a large sofa and an armchair. Nearby, the dining room has large French doors opening onto a private deck with room for entertaining.

The kitchen is another substantial space, reportedly equipped with high-end stainless-steel appliances, sleek terrazzo countertops, two pantries, and a classic farmhouse sink.

Family photographs show that this is not simply a showpiece kitchen, as several images capture Leavitt holding little Niko in the space, with a dishwasher, farmhouse-style cabinetry, pendant lights, and a dark gooseneck faucet visible behind them. The pictures make the room look unmistakably lived-in — bottles, household items, and all.

The main floor reportedly includes a guest bedroom with a full bathroom. Upstairs, the primary bedroom has high ceilings and modern décor, together with a large closet. Its en-suite bathroom contains dual vanities, a spa tub, a separate shower and a private toilet area.

There is also a library that doubles as an office, an especially fitting detail for someone whose job involved relentless news cycles, briefings and preparation. Another bedroom on that level reportedly has its own fireplace.

Two additional bedrooms and a full bathroom are located on the lower level, meaning the property has at least four bedrooms in total based on the described layout, and potentially more depending on how individual spaces are classified.

The residence also includes a dedicated laundry room, a garage, and a covered carport. Outside, a terrace and landscaped gardens provide additional room for family time away from the public-facing pace of Washington.

The Light-Blue Nursery May Be the Home’s Sweetest Room

But the most personal glimpses of the house come from its children’s spaces. One of the Washington residence’s sweetest spaces appears to be the nursery prepared for Leavitt’s first child.

A photograph of Niko when he was a baby shows him resting in a room painted a soft light blue, with a white crib, a large white dresser, and a circular sunburst mirror. Even the major furniture pieces continue the pale decorating scheme seen elsewhere in the house.

A personalized sign reading “NICHOLAS” hangs above the crib, while an air-conditioning unit is mounted high on the blue wall. A plush light-colored rug covers much of the hardwood floor.

That hardwood flooring is another consistent characteristic of the Washington residence, visible beneath rugs and furnishings in multiple family pictures.

Another past image shows Leavitt cuddling her then-newborn son while lying beside a large stack of white pillows. The angle is intimate and casual, offering little sense of political life beyond the walls.

Christmas Photos and Everyday Motherhood Moments Reveal Other Parts of the Home

Leavitt’s holiday photographs provide some of the most revealing views of the residence. In one image, she poses beside a decorated Christmas tree in a fitted cream-colored dress while visibly pregnant.

The room around her features large windows, pale walls, and a distinctive chandelier composed of dangling translucent pieces.

The tree itself was decorated in traditional red, white, and silver, with warm lights, stars, and ornaments filling its branches.

A close-up holiday image shows an ultrasound photo positioned in front of the tree alongside a tiny shirt reading “BABY SIS.” It turned the family’s décor into an announcement that Niko would soon become a big brother. The residence continued serving as a backdrop after the family welcomed their daughter.