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White House Press Secretary Leavitt Announces Second Pregnancy
Confirmed
In Short: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she is expecting her second child, a baby girl due in May 2026.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that she and her husband are expecting their second child, a baby girl due in May 2026. Leavitt shared the news on her Instagram account, calling it “the greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for.”
Leavitt, 28, expressed her gratitude to President Trump and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for their support and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House. She also thanked God for the blessing of motherhood, which she believes is “the closest thing to Heaven on Earth.”
Leavitt, who is currently on maternity leave, returned to the White House podium on July 16, 2026, after giving birth to her second child, daughter Viviana, in May. She had stepped away from her position at the end of April.
Leavitt, the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary, has been a key spokesperson for the Trump administration since the start of his second term. She joined the Trump administration in 2019 and ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in New Hampshire before returning to serve as White House press secretary.
Leavitt, who graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2019 with a degree in politics and communication, interned at Fox News during the 2016 presidential election. She will join Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott announced on Monday.
Leavitt confirmed her departure from the White House in August, saying she made the “bittersweet decision” after concluding she could not balance the demands of serving as press secretary with being the mother she wants to be to her two young children.
President Donald Trump announced Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his Truth Social platform, will serve as the new permanent White House Press Secretary, filling a role vacated by Leavitt at the end of August.
Vice President JD Vance held a White House press briefing on Thursday, the first since Leavitt’s departure, in which he defended the energy costs of data centers and deflected on high gas prices.
What this adds
Leavitt's announcement marks her as the first expectant press secretary in U.S. history, having announced her pregnancy in December 2025.
Background
President Donald Trump announced Katie Zacharia will replace Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary, starting on Columbus Day.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Katie Zacharia will begin her role as White House press secretary on Columbus Day, starting with an introductory news conference on Tuesday at 9:30 A.M.
What's confirmed
- 26, 2025 WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that she and her husband are expecting their second child, a baby girl due in May 2026.
- President Donald Trump said today that he has appointed Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his Truth Social platform, to serve as White House press secretary following Karoline Leavitt’s departure in August.
- "Karoline’s firsthand experience in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a distinct understanding of today’s political landscape. We look forward to her providing our audience with authentic and sharp insight across all FOX News Media platforms," Scott said in a statement.
What's still developing
- "People don’t see this side of him because the media doesn’t show it but he has been nothing but kind and uplifting to me, even since departing," she continued.
- Leavitt, 29, fielded a variety of questions from her Instagram followers while traveling Wednesday, touching on everything from Trump's personality to her career plans and life as a mother of two.
- “In fact, I am going to end it because President Trump is heading out to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska, and we can ask him all of the questions out there,” she said.
- Leavitt and Riccio, 60, welcomed their first child — a son, Nicholas "Niko" Robert Riccio — in July 2024.
- She announced her pregnancy in December 2025, becoming the first expectant press secretary in U.S. history.
- ET, a mere 24 hours after starting work in her new role and four days after being named as Karoline Leavitt's replacement, the Washington Examiner reported.
- The appointment comes nearly two months after Karoline Leavitt's departure, though the timing of Zacharia's start remains unclear.
- “She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!,” the president said.
- His first, Sean Spicer, transitioned from lying about the crowd size at Trump’s first inauguration to becoming a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” at near lighting speed after only 182 days on the job.