Questions swirled on Wednesday after President Donald Trump's press secretary turned in her resignation letter.
Karoline Leavitt, who has served as Trump's chief press liaison throughout his second administration, announced that she will be leaving the administration at the end of the month to spend more time with her family. Leavitt gave birth to a baby daughter in May and returned from maternity leave in July.
CNN's Alayna Treene reported that Leavitt's announcement came as a surprise to Trump White House insiders, many of whom consider Leavitt to be one of the president's most effective defenders.
"This is a hugeloss for this president," Treene told CNN's Phil Mattingly on "The Lead."
Treene also noted that Leavitt's resignation came at a consequential time for the administration and that it seemed unprepared for it.
"She's going to be leaving just three months before the November midterm elections. That's hard when she's your chief messenger," Treene noted.
The timing, Treene added, will also "make it difficult to replace her," according to sources she spoke with.
Other analysts also questioned the timing of Leavitt's departure, noting that it came at a time when Democrats are currently favored to retake the House of Representatives after the midterms. That would give them the power to investigate the Trump administration, the analysts argued.
"Karoline Leavitt is dipping out right before Democrats likely take the House majority (possibly the Senate) and corruption investigations and subpoenas fly. Don’t be surprised if more resign before January," Ahmed Baba, a former columnist for The Independent, posted on X.
"Karoline Leavitt is abandoning a sinking ship. The 'family time' comment is an excuse that unfortunately some will believe," Sabrina Salvati, host of the "Sabby Sabs" politics podcast, posted on X.
