When Trump broke the news on Truth Social this past Wednesday, he framed Leavitt's departure as a personal choice rather than a political shake-up. He wrote that she was leaving the press secretary job so she could focus on raising her "beautiful young children," calling it a decision he "totally" understands. Leavitt, now 28, took over the role back in January 2025 when Trump's second term began, and she's set to hand things off by the end of this month.
Her own statement, posted on X, struck a similarly personal note. She described the announcement as bittersweet and said she didn't feel she could be the kind of mother her kids deserve while also putting in the round-the-clock hours the press secretary job demands. It's a job that's notoriously all-consuming, and Leavitt now has two young children to think about her son Niko, born in July 2024, and her daughter Vivi, who arrived this past May 1. Both kids are with her husband, 60-year-old Nicholas Riccio.
The Marine One Video Everyone's Talking About
Right around the time the resignation news landed, a separate video started circulating that had nothing to do with her stepping down at least on the surface. The footage, filmed the day before the announcement, shows Leavitt aboard Marine One alongside Trump and his executive assistant, Natalie Harp. To a lot of viewers, the body language on display looked stiff, maybe even a little tense, which sent people searching for context.
That's where a professional lip reader entered the picture. Nicola Hickling took a close look at the clip for The Daily Express US and offered her read on what may have passed between the two women. According to Hickling, Leavitt turned to Trump and Harp with a short, pointed question: "Are you sure?" Harp's reported reply was blunt something along the lines of not liking the situation and promising an announcement would come soon. Leavitt's response, per Hickling, was a simple "Okay."
From there, the moment gets a bit more physical. Hickling says Leavitt let out a sigh and rubbed her arm, which could read as either relief or discomfort hard to say without more context. She then appeared to say something while gesturing toward Harp, though her exact words were lost as she moved out of clear view behind the window.
Harp, meanwhile, allegedly shrugged and remarked that "this has now happened twice." Leavitt responded with her own hand gestures, leaning back, folding her arms, and turning her attention toward Trump seemingly pursing her lips as she did. Harp then reportedly held up two fingers, repeating the point: "Twice, as you know."
It's worth noting that lip reading isn't an exact science, especially from grainy or angled footage, so how much of this exchange is accurate remains genuinely uncertain.
Who Might Replace Her?
No official successor has been named yet, either by Leavitt or Trump. But the guessing game is already underway. Names being floated include Natalie Harp herself, Deputy Press Secretary Taylor Rogers, former beauty pageant winner Anna Kelly, and Regional Press Secretary Liz Huston.
A Tenure Marked by Controversy
Leavitt's stretch as press secretary hasn't exactly been quiet. She's been one of Trump's most consistent defenders at the podium, but that loyalty has come with plenty of pushback critics have repeatedly accused her of pushing misinformation, and her combative style with reporters has drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates. Whether her next chapter as an "outside advisor," as Trump put it, keeps her in that same spotlight remains to be seen.
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