Karoline Leavitt experienced an eventful period leading up to her maternity leave.
On Thursday, May 7, the White House Press Secretary, 28, announced on X the arrival of her daughter, Viviana.
Posting an image cradling her newborn in the pink-themed nursery, Karoline shared, “On May 1st, Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love. She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister. We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble. Thank you to everyone who reached out with prayers during my pregnancy – I truly felt them throughout the entire experience. God is Good.”
The press secretary had minimal downtime before her daughter’s birth. Though she intended to start maternity leave on April 24, turmoil at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner required her return to official duties for a few additional days.
After a gunman opened fire at the prestigious gathering, Karoline and the rest of the attendees quickly found shelter under their tables as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania were immediately evacuated from the event.
That evening, the press secretary drew significant notice for an inadvertent foreshadowing of events.
Speaking with Fox News on the red carpet about Trump’s planned speech, she commented, “There will be some shots fired tonight in the room.”
Despite the president holding his own during an impromptu press briefing that evening, she resumed her duties the next Monday morning, convening the media to condemn political violence and rebuke Jimmy Kimmel.
In her statement, she responded forcefully to the late night host’s remarks about that evening, describing his “expectant widow” comment towards the first lady as “disgusting,” and asking, “Who in their right mind says a wife would be glowing over the potential murder of her beloved husband?”
She argued that his persistent, “completely deranged” attacks on the first family “inspires [viewers] to commit violence.”
While Jimmy subsequently referred to her as a “psychic lady,” she returned to her maternity leave following that press briefing.
During the press secretary’s absence, White House communications director Steven Cheung will assume responsibility for managing White House communications.
Karoline had initially announced she was expecting her second child with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, during the holiday season. In a photograph taken beside her Christmas tree, she revealed her baby bump, wearing a fitted white sweater dress.
The Instagram caption read, “The greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for – a baby girl coming in May 2026. 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.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
