Two distinct White House developments occurred on Wednesday, August 12, 2026: President Donald Trump announced that press secretary Karoline Leavitt would leave her role by the end of the month, citing family reasons, while the administration also responded to reporting by The Washington Post that it planned to spend nearly $1bn on construction and expansion projects at the White House complex.
White House press secretary Leavitt to depart at end of August as administration defends nearly $1bn construction spending
Two distinct White House developments occurred on Wednesday, August 12, 2026: President Donald Trump announced that press secretary Karoline Leavitt would leave her role by the end of the month, citing family reasons, while the administration also responded to reporting by The Washington Post that it planned to spend nearly $1bn on construction and expansion projects at the White House complex.
Trump stated in a post on Truth Social that Leavitt would transition to serve as one of his 'top outside advisors' and play a role within the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections. Leavitt described her roughly year-and-a-half tenure in a post on social media platform X as 'the honor and adventure of a lifetime.' According to CBC News, Trump did not outline plans for a replacement. Leavitt had previously worked on Trump's 2024 campaign and served as transition spokeswoman before being appointed press secretary, becoming the youngest person to hold that position.
On the construction matter, The Washington Post, according to Al Jazeera, cited documents showing the administration was planning to spend nearly $1bn on White House construction work, which includes a large new ballroom intended to replace much of the East Wing. White House spokesman Davis Ingle, in a statement to Al Jazeera, characterised the work as 'long-overdue and necessary' and said it was 'inextricably tied to the security of the President, the White House grounds and certain security infrastructure assets.' Ingle cited recent security incidents, including alleged attempted attacks on the president and events surrounding the 250th anniversary of US independence, as justifications for the projects. He added that the work was being carried out in coordination with the Secret Service and the White House Military Office.
According to Al Jazeera, approximately $875m has been placed into the White House Repair and Restoration account, which typically holds only several million dollars for routine maintenance. Of that total, roughly $500m came from the Secret Service and the White House Military Office, while $305m, according to The Washington Post, came from private donations; the origin of a further $70m was not indicated. Ingle separately stated that approximately $400m in funding for the new ballroom was coming from 'President Trump and generous American patriots.'
The reconstruction project has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and courts. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., last week ordered a halt specifically to ballroom construction, ruling it required Congressional approval under existing law, according to Al Jazeera. The advocacy group Public Citizen said in June that it had found corporate donors to the project had received more than $50bn in government contracts in the preceding six months, raising concerns about possible exchanges of donations for government favours.
- No successor to Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary has been named or suggested in any source.
- The precise timeline or circumstances of Leavitt's departure beyond 'end of August' are not detailed.
- The sources do not establish the full breakdown of all funding sources for the White House construction, with $70m in contributions of unindicated provenance.
- The current status of the federal court order halting ballroom construction — including whether it has been appealed — is not established.
- The sources do not include any response from lawmakers who have scrutinised the construction project.
- The sources do not indicate whether The Washington Post's reporting on construction spending has been independently confirmed beyond the documents it cited.
- No comment from the Secret Service or White House Military Office directly is included in the sources.
- CBC News — original
- Al Jazeera English — by Umar Farooq