Outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt "quickly realized" months ago that she wanted to leave President Donald Trump, according to a new report.
Insiders told The Daily Mail that Leavitt realized shortly after returning from maternity leave in July that she wanted to leave. Trump finally announced her departure via a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
"She was just trying to figure out how to politely step down with his blessing," an anonymous source told The Mail.
"First week back she realized she wasn't feeling it anymore," another source said. "Trump really didn't want her to leave as he actually trusts her and doesn't like having to deal with new people in his circle when he wants to focus on getting stuff done in his time left in office."
Another anonymous source told The Mail that Leavitt was dealing with extreme "burnout" in the few weeks that she returned to work. According to reporting by CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene, Trump was calling Leavitt even while she was out on maternity leave.
Leavitt said in a social media post announcing her departure, which appeared to be modified with the help of AI, that she was leaving to take care of her newborn and her other young child.
"The truth is since 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.
"No doubt one of the hardest decisions of her life," a source close to Leavitt told the Mail.
"It was a very stressful job to do with her children," the source who said Leavitt was suffering from "burnout" added. "She never got any sleep, and she didn't want her performance to slip either, so she decided to stay as long as she could and do the job well."
Another insider told the Mail, "It's a thankless job," and "I do know that the replacement isn't chosen just yet. They are still weighing their options."