Trump says Karoline Leavitt will leave White House press secretary role, become outside advisor

Karoline Leavitt walking into that briefing room every day for the better part of a year and holding her own against a press corps that showed up looking for a fight was no small thing. She was 27 when she took the job, the youngest press secretary in history, and whatever you thought of the administration's messaging, she never once looked like she was in over her head. That matters more than people want to admit. The job chews people up.

"Spend more time with family" is the line every White House uses when someone leaves, and sometimes it's spin and sometimes it's just true. Either way, becoming an outside advisor rather than vanishing from the picture entirely tells you this wasn't a falling out. Trump doesn't usually keep people close who he's frustrated with, and he's not shy about saying so when he is. The fact that she's staying in the orbit, just off the podium, reads more like a deliberate move than an exit.

There will be plenty of speculation about what comes next for her, and honestly there should be. Someone who handled that role at that age with that much composure has a future in this movement whether or not she's standing behind a lectern. The press secretary job burns people out fast and turns others into punching bags for four years straight. Leaving on your own terms, with the boss's blessing and a new title waiting, is not the worst way to go out.