White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is delaying her maternity leave after gunfire erupted steps away from President Donald Trump and top administration officials, a chaotic scene that came as she was already due to have her second baby this week. Leavitt said Monday morning that she will hold a press conference at 1 p.m., extending her time at the podium after saying Friday that she was about ready to have a baby any minute.
Leavitt, 28, and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, where she was seated next to Trump and Melania in the ballroom at the Washington Hilton when the shots rang out. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, who sent a manifesto to his family moments before attempting to storm the premises. Leavitt had said on Friday that this would likely be her last gaggle for some time, and later appeared to react to the evening’s turn with the kind of blunt certainty that has marked her public role before.
Her decision to stay in the job carries a familiar pattern. Leavitt returned to the campaign just four days after giving birth to her son, Nikko, in July 2024 following Trump’s near-assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In an interview with The Conservateur last year, she said, “I looked at my husband and said, ‘Looks like I’m going back to work,’” after another attempt on Trump’s life upended the campaign and reshaped her schedule.
For now, it remains unclear when Leavitt plans to step away or for how long, and no replacement has been announced. That leaves the White House without a named successor at the briefing room lectern as top Trump officials, and possibly Trump himself, are expected to rotate through in her absence. Leavitt was already preparing for leave before the latest security scare, but Monday’s delay made one thing plain: the departure is no longer on the calendar, and the pressure around the podium is not easing.
