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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt surprised everyone after Christmas when she announced she was expecting her second child with husband Nicholas Riccio, immediately sparking questions about her future in the Trump administration, but it appears that Ms. Leavitt has no plans to leave anytime soon.
Originally revealed to Fox News Digital, Leavitt announced her pregnancy in a quick but happy statement: “My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.”
This will be Leavitt’s second child. Her first child, a son, was born in July 2024, during the intense final stretch of President Trump’s re-election campaign. At the time, Leavitt was working as the president’s national press secretary on the campaign.
Leavitt’s second baby is due in May 2026, which has drawn some speculation about whether she plans on remaining in her role with the Trump administration.
According to Fox, a White House official told the outlet that the press secretary intends to stay at her post.
“We’re all going to be watching as Karoline Leavitt absolutely schools the fake news media while she’s probably eight and nine months pregnant,” Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to President Trump, told Fox during a segment last week. “She’s incredible, and congrats to Karoline.”
The position of White House press secretary dates to 1929, when former President Herbert Hoover established the position and hired George Akerson as the first official liaison between himself and the American press. It wasn’t until President Bill Clinton’s administration that the first female press secretary, Dee Dee Myers, was hired to fill the position.
Leavitt’s pregnancy while working at the White House is also historic. She will be the first White House press secretary to serve in the role while expecting a child.
