Trump 'concerned' Karoline Leavitt likes her kids more than him, then eyes her replacement

WASHINGTON,DC: President Donald Trump turned a question about Karoline Leavitt’s imminent departure from the White House podium into an unexpectedly funny exchange on Saturday, August 15, joking that the press secretary has apparently developed a dangerous preference for her children over her boss.

He then took the replacement question into his own hands, pointing toward Fox News reporter Alexis McAdams and effectively offering her a tryout for Leavitt’s job.

What followed was a playful back-and-forth that left the question of Leavitt’s successor looking considerably more entertaining than it had moments earlier.

Trump's hilarious take on Karoline's exit

Asked whether Leavitt could be replaced, Trump immediately pushed back. “No, she’s not. She really isn’t,” he said, praising Leavitt and noting that she was standing right there.

Then, Trump couldn’t resist joking about her decision to step away and spend more time with her family.

“She likes her children more than she likes Trump,” he said. “I’m very concerned about that.”

The joke came after Leavitt had decided to leave one of the most demanding jobs in Washington partly to focus on her two young children.

The reporter then asked Trump the obvious follow-up: if Leavitt was leaving, did he already have someone in mind to stand behind the White House podium?

Trump’s answer was anything but conventional. “You. How about you?” he said, pointing toward Fox's Alexis McAdams interviewing him.

He continued the impromptu recruitment pitch, saying, “She could do the job. I think so. What do you think, Karoline?”

Leavitt, standing nearby, appeared to play along with the idea.

“I like it,” Trump said, before telling McAdams, “I’ve always liked you.”

He then acknowledged that he does not make such offers very often. McAdams responded by thanking Trump for the unexpected endorsement.

Karoline Leavitt's imminent exit

Trump announced on August 13 that Leavitt would leave her position as White House press secretary at the end of August.

He said she was stepping away so she could spend more time with her “beautiful young children and family,” adding that he understood and respected her decision.

Trump praised her as “one of my most trusted aides” and said she had been “one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”

He also made clear that her departure would not mean disappearing from his political orbit.

He said Leavitt would become one of his top outside advisers and remain an influential voice within the Republican Party as the administration works toward the 2026 midterm elections.

Leavitt had recently returned to work after giving birth to her second child, a daughter, in May.

She explained that motherhood had become the deciding factor in her departure, saying that after returning to the White House she realized she could not be the mother her two young children deserved while also giving the press secretary position the constant time, energy and attention it demands.