Karoline Leavitt is gearing up for maternity leave.
The White House press secretary, 28, appeared on Fox News’ America Reports on Friday, April 24. Karoline was on the show to confirm if Jared Kushner and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff are heading to Islamabad, Pakistan to meet with the Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
She also discussed other matters like the Department of Justice’s investigation into Southern Poverty Law Center and Appeals court Ruling that president Donald Trump aslyum ban is illegal. At the end of her interview, John Roberts offered advance congratulations to Karoline on the birth of her second child and said they look forward to her coming back from maternity leave. Karoline had a four-word response to that. It came amid growing concern about the President Trump’s erratic behavior – just days ago, Trump made a disturbing sex comment on stage that stunned his audience into silence.
On the show Karoline thanked John and pointedly promised him, “I’ll be back soon.”
At the start of the interview, the Fox News host had noted that Karoline was going to give birth soon.
“Karoline, great to see you and what may be your last television appearance before you go off on maternity leave. It’s very exciting for your family,” John, 69, said to her.
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Karoline said she will be back as White House press secretary following her maternity leave
This comes as there has been speculation about the status of Karoline’s employment. People have felt she is distancing herself from the Trump administration.
The moment that sparked speculation was during a White House press conference on April 22. A reporter inquired about the issue around Virginia’s redistricting and why Trump, who is opposed to the referendum, didn’t campaign further against it such as utilizing his Truth Social page.
Karoline replied, “That’s a question that’s political by nature. As you know, I’m not part of the President’s political team anymore. I do sit here at the White House as a government employee.”
Karoline is pregnancy with her second child
Along with that response, there have been other previous moments that seem to be signs that Karoline could be on her way out. Political scientist Christopher Lee suggested to The Mirror US that Karoline is potentially on thin ice with Trump and that Trump has a history of “firing disposable staff.”
Christopher gave the example of Trump jokingly said Karoline was doing a “terrible job” during the signing of an executive order in which reporters were present in the Oval Office.
Trump was talking about “bad publicity” and getting around 93% to 97% percent and how getting that amount means, “maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know.”
He then turned to Karoline to tell her, in jest, “You’re doing a terrible job.”
Karoline announced that she and her husband and Nicholas Riccio are expecting their second child in December 2025(Image: karolineleavitt/Instagram)
The president further quipped to reporters, “Shall we keep her? I think we’ll keep her.”
Christopher pointed out, “While [Trump] claims he was joking, he’s made the same joke in the past.”
Karoline is expected to give birth to her second child, a girl, in May. She announced the news of her second pregnancy on Instagram in December 2025. Karoline shares her first child, one-year-old son Niko, with her 60-year-old Nicholas Riccio.
