White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt unveils new baby ‘Vivi’ in touching social media post

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she had given birth to a baby girl named Viviana, or “Vivi” for short.

Leavitt’s daughter was born May 1, she announced on social media Thursday, writing that her family’s hearts “instantly exploded with love.”

“She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble,” she wrote.

“Thank you to everyone who reached out with prayers during my pregnancy – I truly felt them throughout the entire experience. God is Good.”

Vivi is the second child shared by Leavitt, 28, and her husband, 60-year-old real estate developer Nicolas Riccio. The couple’s son, Nicolas or “Niko,” will turn 2 in July.

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Leavitt has been on maternity leave from her role as White House Press Secretary, though she returned briefly to the podium following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 24, after attending the event.

She held her last briefing before taking maternity leave on April 27, during which she blamed Democrats and the American press for the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump that unfolded during the annual press event.

At that briefing, she also spoke out against late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel for joking just days before the shooting that First Lady Melania Trump had “the glow of an expectant widow.”

“This kind of rhetoric about the President, the First Lady and his supporters, is completely deranged, and it's unbelievable that the American people are consuming it night after night after night,” she said, not long after both Trump and his wife called on ABC to fire Kimmel.

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Leavitt also called for the negative commentary about Trump to “end” and for commentators to “tone it down” following the shooting.

In Leavitt’s absence, other top White House officials are expected to fill in and take questions in the press briefing room.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first to stand in for the role, briefing reporters and taking questions during a chaotic briefing this week.

Rubio appeared to acknowledge how disorderly the briefing was, as multiple reporters tried calling out questions to him at once, telling the press, “This is chaos, guys.”

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It is unclear how long Leavitt will be on maternity leave.

The press secretary announced she was expecting a baby girl in late December, sharing the news on Instagram along with a photo of her posing in front of a Christmas tree.

“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother. 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,” Leavitt wrote.

“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,” she added.

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