White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the birth of her second child on Thursday May 7, 2026.
The baby, a girl named Viviana, already nicknamed Vivi, was born on May 1. In an Instagram post that included a photo of herself holding her newborn daughter, Leavitt wrote:
“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.”
Viviana is Leavitt’s second child with her husband Nicholas Riccio. Their son Niko was born in July 2024, making him just under two years old as his little sister arrived.
The announcement came six days after the birth, a quiet week inside what Leavitt described as their newborn bubble before sharing the news with the world.
Meet Karoline Leavitt
Karoline Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in American history when she took the role at 27 years old following President Trump’s return to office in January 2025.
She was also the first pregnant press secretary in US history, standing at the podium in the Brady Press Briefing Room visibly pregnant while fielding daily questions from the White House press corps through an unusually active news period that has included the Iran War, the Spirit Airlines shutdown, multiple international crises and the ongoing domestic policy agenda of the Trump administration’s second term.
She was born on August 26, 1997 in Hampton, New Hampshire. She attended Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire and worked her way through conservative media and Republican politics before becoming communications director for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
She was elected to Congress from New Hampshire in 2024 before being tapped for the press secretary role, a position she has held with a directness and confidence that has made her one of the more recognizable faces of the administration.
She previously described motherhood as “the closest thing to heaven on Earth,” a statement that the birth of Viviana seems to have reinforced rather than contradicted.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner
The birth announcement carried an additional layer of context for anyone who was watching the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026.
Leavitt attended the event at the Washington Hilton in Washington DC, visibly and significantly pregnant, six days before she gave birth.
During the entertainment portion of the evening, performer Oz Pearlman, known professionally as Oz the Mentalist, worked through his mentalist act and arrived at a segment where he attempted to guess the name of Leavitt’s unborn daughter in front of the assembled crowd.
He wrote his guess on a card. He revealed it. His guess was “Vivian.” The actual name is Viviana. He was one letter away.
The moment was nearly subsumed by a separate development: while Pearlman was revealing his guess, attendees became aware that a gunman was attempting to enter the room.
The disruption overtook that part of the evening and the mentalist moment, in which someone had nearly guessed the name of the baby who was six days from being born, became a footnote to a more alarming development.
Leavitt was not harmed. Viviana arrived six days later, perfect and healthy.
Who Is At The Podium While She Is Away?
Leavitt began maternity leave shortly before her delivery in late April 2026. The White House’s approach to coverage during her absence is unusual, rather than naming a formal acting press secretary, the administration has assembled a rotating cast of senior officials to brief the press in her place.
The first was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who made his debut in the Brady Press Briefing Room on Tuesday May 5. A White House official called him “a natural” and praised his messaging on Iran during the session.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to appear at the podium as well.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials described by one administration source as “TV thoroughbreds” are also being considered. The same source noted that President Trump himself could potentially make an appearance.
The arrangement is less about any single person filling Leavitt’s role and more about giving the administration’s most senior voices direct access to the press briefing room during a period when the news cycle around Iran, trade policy and domestic legislation has remained active.
Whether Leavitt returns to the podium after her maternity leave has not been specified in terms of timing.
Who Is Nicholas Riccio?
Nicholas Riccio is a real estate investor and Leavitt’s husband. The couple has maintained a relatively private relationship despite Leavitt’s very public professional profile.
Riccio is not a political figure and has not sought public attention alongside his wife’s rise to one of the most visible roles in the federal government.
Their son Niko, born in July 2024, just before the final stretch of Trump’s 2024 campaign, was Leavitt’s first child and the one she was raising while serving as a campaign communications director and subsequently as White House press secretary.
Niko is now nearly two years old and, per his mother’s Instagram post, is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister.
Viviana arrived six days before the announcement. The name was kept entirely private until Thursday morning’s post.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner moment notwithstanding, not a single detail about the baby’s name reached the public before Leavitt was ready to share it.
When Will Leavitt Return?
Maternity leave duration for Leavitt has not been publicly specified. The White House has indicated through the rotating podium arrangement that it expects the leave to last at least several weeks.
The next major press briefing event on the calendar involves ongoing Iran War developments, trade negotiations and the administration’s domestic legislative priorities, all of which will be addressed by the rotating cast of senior officials until Leavitt returns.
Her Instagram post Thursday morning ended the same way it began. with simplicity. “God is Good.”
A press secretary who has stood at the podium through one of the more turbulent news periods in recent American history chose a moment of uncomplicated joy to share her daughter with the world.
Viviana. Born May 1, 2026. Perfect and healthy.
