White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gives birth to girl

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on May 7, 2026

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday announced she gave birth to her second child last week, just days after stepping aside from her post to go on maternity leave.

The spokeswoman for President Donald Trump on May 1 welcomed healthy baby girl Viviana “Vivi” with her husband, Nicholas Riccio.

“She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister,” Leavitt posted. “We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble.”

Leavitt, 28, is the first White House press secretary to give birth while serving in the post.

She went on maternity leave just before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25 but made a dramatic cameo return after the shooting attack that cut short the event.

She lashed out at Democrats for creating what she called “a culture of hatred” that led to the alleged assassination plot at the gala dinner.

Self-proclaimed “mentalist” Oz Pearlman successfully guessed the name Leavitt was planning to give the baby just seconds before the gunfire erupted at the WHCD.

Leavitt plans to return to her role sparring with reporters at an unspecified future date.

She and Riccio, 60, also have a son, Niko, who will turn 2 this summer.

Leavitt emerged as a key Trump mouthpiece during his 2026 presidential campaign and has proved a dogged and effective presence in the White House during his second term.

She hasn’t said who if anyone will preside over the daily White House briefings in her absence, although communications director Stephen Cheung will likely play a more significant role.

A New Hampshire native, Leavitt is the youngest person ever to be White House press secretary and the sixth working mother to hold the post.

She mounted a 2022 run for a New Hampshire congressional seat and won a 10-way primary for the Republican nomination, before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in the general election.