Karoline Leavitt’s maternity leave explained after taking just 3 days with first baby

Karoline Leavitt will soon welcome her second child, and many people online are curious about how long her maternity leave will be this time around.

In December, the 28-year-old White House press secretary announced that she and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60, are expecting their second child in May 2026. Leavitt is the youngest person in history to hold the role and the first pregnant press secretary.

The couple welcomed their son, Nicholas Robert Riccio, in July 2024, and they married six months later, just two days before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025. According to Leavitt’s second pregnancy announcement on Instagram, the president and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are supportive of her, and she praised them “for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House.”

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Leavitt and her real estate developer husband have a unique 32-year age gap, and the press secretary previously shared, “I mean it’s a very atypical love story, but he’s incredible,” on The Megyn Kelly Show in February 2025.

As a working mom in a high-pressure environment, many are wondering how long she will step away from the White House press briefing room. With Leavitt’s due date coming up for her baby girl, we’re breaking down potential stand-ins for her role while she’s on maternity leave, the length of her maternity leave, and more.

How long was Karoline Leavitt’s maternity leave for her first baby?

Leavitt and Riccio’s son, nicknamed “Niko,” was born on July 10, 2024. Just three days after giving birth to him, Trump was shot in a July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

She decided to cut her maternity leave short after taking four days off to return to her role as national press secretary during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

After watching Trump’s attempted assassination on live television, Leavitt recalled the moment in an interview with The Conservateur in October 2024, saying, “I looked at my husband and said, ‘Looks like I’m going back to work.’”

Who could replace Karoline Leavitt while she’s on maternity leave?

While it hasn’t been officially announced who will replace Leavitt during her maternity leave this time around, there’s been ongoing chatter about possible candidates. The front-runners for the job are Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers, and Regional Press Secretary Liz Huston.

Kelly, originally from Fairfax, Virginia, has worked on several Republican campaigns. According to her LinkedIn, she was the communications director for the U.S. House of Representatives and the national press secretary for the Republican National Convention.

Kelly also has a background in beauty pageants and won the 2019 Miss State Fair of Virginia, using the title to encourage youth involvement in politics, according to the Fairfax Times.

Rogers was previously the press assistant to the Republican National Committee and a Fox News guest greeter. She graduated from Clemson University’s College of Business, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Huston, an Indiana University graduate, previously worked at the cybersecurity company StateRAMP, where she was a program manager after an internship.

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When is Karoline Leavitt’s due date?

Leavitt’s due date for her second child, a girl, is coming up in May. She celebrated her baby shower last week at Trump’s northern Virginia golf club.

“My beautiful friends threw me a beautiful baby shower, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” Leavitt wrote on an Instagram post. “I feel blessed to have so many strong and loving women in my life, and can’t believe we will welcome our little lady into the world in a few weeks.”

Prominent women from the Trump administration attended her baby shower, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, among 50 other White House officials and others connected to Trump. Leavitt’s staff from the White House press office attended, including the top candidates to fill in for her role.