"Our Hearts Instantly Exploded With Love": White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Welcomes Baby Daughter Viviana
The youngest and first pregnant press secretary in American history has added a new title to her résumé: mother of two. We are thrilled for her.
Six days into May, with Washington still buzzing from the chaos of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Karoline Leavitt was somewhere far more important, welcoming a new life into the world.
"On May 1st, Viviana (aka 'Vivi') joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love," Leavitt wrote in an Instagram post Thursday, sharing the news with the country for the first time.
"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."
She closed with three quiet, grateful words: "God is Good."
Viviana is Leavitt's second child with her husband Nick. The couple's son, Niko, was born in July 2024, meaning the 28-year-old has now had two children in under two years while serving as the most visible spokesperson for the President of the United States.
Leavitt is the first pregnant White House press secretary in U.S. history, and also the youngest ever to hold the role. She has conducted hundreds of on-camera briefings through both pregnancies, rarely missing a beat at the podium, and rarely letting the personal intrude on the political.
This week, she let herself just be a mother.
The announcement came with an added layer of drama. Less than a week before she gave birth, Leavitt was at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where entertainer Oz Pearlman, known as "Oz the Mentalist," was attempting to guess her baby's name live on stage. When he landed on "Vivian," the room was suddenly overtaken by a far more urgent situation: a gunman attempting to enter the venue. Only now, with little Vivi safely here, does that moment feel complete.
While Leavitt is on maternity leave, Cabinet members have been stepping in to brief the press. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made his debut at the podium on Tuesday, with one White House official calling him "a natural." Vice President JD Vance is also expected to appear, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and perhaps even the President himself.
For now, though, the briefing room can wait. There is a newborn bubble to be in, and a little girl named Vivi who has no interest in the news cycle whatsoever.