Trump White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been quietly carrying some joyful news—and it’s finally public. Leavitt, 28, announced Friday that she and her husband, Nick Riccio, are expecting a baby girl in May 2026.
Leavitt said she is “thrilled” to be growing her family and described motherhood as “the closest thing to Heaven on Earth,” a sentiment that resonates strongly with many Americans who still value faith, family, and traditional priorities. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Niko Riccio, in July 2024.
“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother,” Leavitt wrote in a post on her personal Instagram account. “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 news of the upcoming arrival is not just joyful—it’s historic. Senior Trump administration officials confirmed that Karoline Leavitt has no plans to step away from her role, making her the first pregnant presidential press secretary in U.S. history.
Leavitt heaped praise upon President Trump and her colleagues in the West Wing for creating a “pro-family environment” in the White House, writing, “I am also extremely grateful to President Trump and our Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for their support, and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House. 2026 is going to be a great year and I am so excited to be a girl mom!”
From the outside, it increasingly appears that the Trump team has made the White House a place where younger staffers can thrive not just professionally, but personally as well. Unlike administrations that treated family life as an inconvenience, the Trump White House has openly embraced it.
That culture was on full display this past Halloween, when a White House livestream showed staff members bringing their young children through the annual trick-or-treat line to receive candy from President Donald Trump and the first lady. The moment felt less like a staged photo op and more like a genuine snapshot of a family-friendly workplace.
During Thanksgiving, Niko accompanied his mother in the White House Press Briefing Room to welcome turkeys Gobble and Waddle as they proceeded to be pardoned by the president.
Leavitt said that the addition to their family of a baby girl was “[t]he greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for,” and we here at USA Journal, naturally, are sending our congratulations and very best wishes to Karoline, Nick, and Niko.
