‘Guy with the Weird Voice’: Karoline Leavitt Takes Maternity Leave — and Her Replacement Is Raising More Questions Than Confidence
Karoline Leavitt is desperate to prove her loyalty to Donald Trump by making him her No. 1 priority.
Leavitt, 28, is in the final days of her second pregnancy with her husband, real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, 60.
The White House Press Secretary has already stepped away from the podium as she begins maternity leave ahead of welcoming her second child, a baby girl—but her absence is anything but typical.
Instead, a rotating group of familiar faces is expected to step into the briefing room, including Vice President JD Vance, various Cabinet officials, and even Donald Trump himself. According to NewsNation, Communications director, Steven Cheung, will also oversee the operation alongside Leavitt’s team.
The unusual setup is already drawing skepticism, with critics saying they weren’t confident in Leavitt’s leadership to begin with—and are even less convinced that a revolving door of stand-ins will bring any order or credibility to the room.
Leavitt felt compelled to speak after what took place Saturday night in remarks on April 27.
She and her husband were among Trump’s staffers and Cabinet members who attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on April 25.
A lone shooter, identified as suspect 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, allegedly interrupted the event with gunfire. Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and several others crawled on the ground to a safe exit.
Leavitt answered questions about having her maternity leave interrupted by another Trump emergency. She had been just three days postpartum with Niko when a shooter grazed Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.
“Um, it’s sort of crazy timing when you put it that way for both children with two assassination attempts against the president,” Leavitt stated. “I’m honored to work in this job. I view this job as the president’s spokesperson and the White House spokeswoman as public service.
She added, “It’s not just any job. I’m honored to do it and I’m honored to work and speak on behalf of President Trump who has faced unprecedented um adversity and challenges and I’m honored to work for him.”
Leavitt revealed she and her husband were expecting a baby girl in a December 2025 announcement. They are already parents to son Niko, born in July 2024. She clocked in on day four of her break that year.
“I hope and pray this is the last time I speak with you until I return from my maternity leave,” she concluded her hearing.
Leavitt did not name an interim replacement. Instead, she directed the media to follow her team of deputy press secretaries and assistants. She shared each person’s name and social media account on X, where her followers suggested Robert F. Kennedy Jr. take her place.
“I really want that guy with the weird voice to stand in for her,” said one person. “He is particularly good value… especially if he is given lots of data and charts and numbers to interpret. We can all sit around pissing ourselves laughing.
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A critic snarked, “Hopefully she looking for a new job in the process. While she is on maternity leave I’m sure he will be coming up with a legal reason on why he can fire her, so he can hire a man in her place.”
Another said, “If she’s smart, she won’t come back to work. It would be the easiest way to bow out. I wonder what she’ll do.”
Trump’s “superstar” press secretary was also present when the president addressed the nation from the White House at the shooting. He was unharmed but refused to let the third attempt on his life disrupt plans.
Photos of Leavitt show her with a smug grin, at times holding back laughter despite being put in harm’s way hours earlier.
One person commented, “Maybe Karoline is happy that she ditched that old husband. Another said, “She said ‘shots will be fired.’”
Leavitt giddily told Fox News about Trump’s speech before heading into the venue.
“He is ready to rumble. … There will be some shots fired tonight in the room, so everyone should tune in,” she said.
What is the first thing you notice?
You can’t unsee it. pic.twitter.com/SWTibAt8gB
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) April 26, 2026
Riccio warned, “You need to be very safe,” while speaking with reporter Aishah Hanse inside the hotel.
Her account of the interaction cut out during Fox’s telecast, sparking questions about the warning. She later clarified that Riccio was speaking about the world being crazy, not a heads-up about the shooting. Critics doubt her claim.
She told Fox News, “The president literally put his life on the line to win this election. The least I could do is get back to work quickly.”
Last year, she admitted to having PTSD and an inability to make personal plans as a result of attending to Trump’s every beck and call. “We just roll with it. If there’s a night where I happen to become free, then we take full advantage of that as a family,” she told Daily Mail.
A heckler theorized that Leavitt is too fearful of losing her job to take a break. They wrote, “If she’s out of the office, she won’t be able to defend herself from the in-house criticism that she should be fired.”
“She loves him more than anyone or anything,” said a second person. Leavitt and Riccio have been married since January 2025. She has worked for Trump since 2024, when she served as a press secretary for his reelection campaign.