Karoline Leavitt returns to White House podium after maternity leave with sweet tribute to daughter Viviana

Karoline Leavitt returned to the White House podium Thursday afternoon to give her first press conference since giving birth – and she shared new insight into how she balances working while taking care of her newborn daughter, Viviana.

Leavitt, 28, returned from maternity leave in late June after taking a little over one month off to care for the infant. 

She and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60, already share a son, Niko, who turned two on July 10.

And although she’s been back at work and accompanying President Donald Trump on various trips around the country over the past few weeks, she made her debut back on the podium Thursday in a bright pink power suit.

As she answered questions from the press pool, she opened up about how she balances her demanding job with motherhood.

‘I don’t think there is a secret, you just have to show up every day and keep going, and it really does take a village,’ Leavitt told the press.

‘I’ll take the opportunity to shoutout to my husband, who is home with our babies right now. I look forward to returning home later to be with them, but it’s challenging,’ Leavitt continued.

Leavitt also praised the Trump administration and explained that she views her position as ‘more than a job,’ but rather, as a ‘public service.’

‘For me, I view this as more than a job, I view this as public service on behalf of a President. 

‘I firmly believe in everything this administration is doing and [I believe he’s] really creating a better country for my children and their future, and I’m very grateful for that.

‘I’m very blessed to be working in this job but also to have two beautiful babies at home.’

Leavitt added that there was ‘nothing better than being a mother.’

Her outfit for her first press conference since giving birth seemed to include a sweet nod to her daughter, as she opted to wear powder pink.

The suit appeared to be from Zara; the blazer is currently on sale for $29.97 on the clothing brand’s website, while the pants are unfortunately sold out.

The Press Secretary accessorized the fun look with a pair of nude heels and a gold cross necklace.

Her return to the podium comes just a few weeks after she hilariously revealed the secret behind her postpartum glow while appearing on Fox & Friends.

‘The makeup artist downstairs, who did my glam this morning,’ Leavitt joked, when asked how she achieved her post-pregnancy radiance. 

‘I’m very sleep-deprived, but a good glam will help you through the day,’ she added. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Leavitt also spoke about how she balances having a newborn and working as the Press Secretary, giving one simple answer.

‘You just do it, you just wake up and you just do your best every day, day after day,’ she told Fox & Friends with a smile on her face.

‘But the baby is perfect, she is so sweet, she’s so cute, and I look forward to going home right now to get back to her,’ Leavitt said of her daughter, who they call Vivi.

Leavitt notoriously came back to work just a few days after she gave birth to Niko in July 2024, after President Trump was shot at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

At the time, Leavitt was the national press secretary for Trump’s presidential campaign.

Leavitt worked down to the wire this pregnancy, too, as she took to the podium at 39 weeks pregnant, during what was supposed to be the start of her maternity leave in the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April.

The annual event took a terrifying turn after a gunman attempted to target members of the Trump administration after guests had already posed up a storm on the red carpet.