He said his spokeswoman would return to her home state of Arkansas at the end of June, praising her as a "warrior".

Mrs Sanders, who is the latest senior White House aide to exit, said her role had been "the honour of a lifetime".

Her credibility was questioned during a combative tenure that saw press briefings all but relegated to a thing of the past.

She started out as deputy press secretary before replacing Sean Spicer in the top post in July 2017.

Mrs Sanders, 36, has been a loyal mouthpiece, famously saying that God "wanted Donald Trump to become president".

At an unrelated White House event on Thursday, Mr Trump described her as "a special person, a very, very fine woman".

"She's a warrior, we're all warriors, we have to be warriors," Mr Trump added.

The president did not name a replacement press secretary.

She said in a quavering voice: "This is something I will treasure forever. I'm going to continue to be one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president."

The mother-of-three said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family. She sometimes scolded the White House press corps for behaving like her children.

Mrs Sanders had a difficult relationship with the media, often repeating her boss's allegation of fake news.

Mrs Sanders hosted fewer news conferences than any of the preceding 13 press secretaries, according to the American Presidency Project.

Her last media briefing was on 11 March - 94 days ago.

Mr Trump has opted to be his own communicator-in-chief, frequently making impromptu remarks to journalists above the buzz of presidential helicopter Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House.

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