Karoline Leavitt Praises Husband Nicholas Riccio for Caring for Their Baby Daughter at Home So She Can Return to Work

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has spoken out to praise her husband, Nicholas Riccio, for stepping up to care for their newborn daughter so she is able to focus on her hectic work schedule, just one week after she returned to her job from maternity leave.

Leavitt, 28, who welcomed her second child, daughter Viviana, with Riccio, 60, on May 1, made an appearance on Fox News show "Fox & Friends" on Monday morning, when she praised her spouse for helping to ensure she gets enough sleep to manage her many professional obligations.

Sitting down with hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence B. Jones, the press secretary, who also shares a son, Niko, with Riccio, explained that her husband had offered to care for their baby girl overnight so she could be fully rested ahead of her early-morning TV appearance.

Having been introduced by Earhardt, who described the mother of two as the "hardest working mom in the United States of America," Leavitt proceeded to gush about her partner—and her family of four.

"Baby's good, she's perfect," she began. "I was telling y'all before we joined that my husband watched her overnight last night so I could get some sleep, so I know what I'm talking about this morning. So I'm feeling good."

After Earhardt noted that having a baby girl is "so special," Leavitt added: "She's a sweetheart, and her big brother is doing well, too. She'll be 2 months this week, and he'll be 2 this week as well. I can't believe I have two under 2."

Speaking about America 250—and her eagerness to return to the White House before the big celebration—Leavitt said that becoming a mother has "changed her perspective on everything," making her feel all the more grateful that she gets to raise her two kids "in a nation where they can grow up to be whatever they want to be."

"I look forward to raising them in this wonderful country," she said.

Leavitt then went on to discuss her trip to President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair in Washington, DC, over the weekend, noting that she attended the event with her son and her mother.

The mom of two shared two images of herself soaking up the sights and sounds of the fair alongside her son, Niko, who will turn 2 on July 10.

Posting the photos on her X account, the proud mom wrote: "Fun day at the Great American State Fair! How cool is it that we are alive during this historic time and we get to experience America’s 250th birthday!?

"Looking forward to making more lifelong memories over the course of this very special week!!"

The first of the images shared by Leavitt showed her holding her son in her arms while posing in front of a replica of the so-called "triumphal arch," a monument that President Trump plans to erect in the nation's capital.

In the background, the fair's 110-foot Freedom 250 Ferris wheel could be seen, along with other attendees milling around the event, which is being held on the National Mall.

A second snap showed her son peering through glass at some baby chicks, his face pressed eagerly up against the case as he watched the birds waddling around.

Leavitt's return to work comes less than two months after she headed off on maternity leave on April 27, having delayed her break by a few days in order to host a last-minute press conference about the shooting that took place at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25.

Less than one week later, she revealed that her baby girl had arrived, sharing a sweet Instagram post in which she could be seen cradling her newborn daughter while standing in her pink nursery.

"On May 1st, Viviana aka 'Vivi' joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love," she wrote alongside the sweet snap, which featured Leavitt sporting a pink sweater to match the decor of the space.

"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.

"Thank you to everyone who reached out with prayers during my pregnancy—I truly felt them throughout the entire experience. God is Good."

During her maternity leave, Leavitt shared several online updates, including a heartfelt Mother's Day post in which she could be seen posing with her daughter and her mom on the terrace at her DC-area abode, where she and her husband have been living with their kids since the start of Trump's latest presidency.

However, she revealed in a June 8 post that she and her family had spent at least some of the month of May in her native New Hampshire, where they had a chance to visit the local beaches and spend time with loved ones.

Leavitt and Riccio are both from New Hampshire—where he owns a successful real estate investment business—and were living there when they met. While they still own a property there, they also snapped up a DC residence so that Leavitt could be closer to the White House.

Shortly before returning to the office, Leavitt and her husband attended Trump's UFL Freedom 250 fight at the White House, with the comms expert sharing several photos of the two of them posing on their terrace at home, before making their way to the highly-publicized event.

"Mom + Dad night out," she wrote in the caption, before thanking President Trump and UFC CEO Dana White for "an absolutely epic time."

By June 23, however, Leavitt was back to the daily grind, sharing an image from an event at the Mack Trucks plant in Pennsylvania, where Trump addressed workers.

"Back on the road with President Trump… lively crowd and a packed house at Mack Trucks in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania!" she wrote alongside the image.

The press secretary has previously opened up about her struggle to maintain a balance between her home life and her professional obligations, admitting in a November 2025 interview with the Daily Mail that she had "PTSD about making plans" because she'd had to cancel so many date nights with her husband.

"Honestly, I have PTSD about making plans, so I just don't," she said. "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."

The mother of one admitted that she and Riccio had been forced to cancel three "mini weekend getaway vacations" last summer because of "foreign policy events," although she did not specify which events those were.

"But that's part of the job, and it's what makes it fun and challenging and keeps every day new," she added. "And it's, you know, it's temporary. We're one year down. We got three to go."

And while her dating life with her husband may have suffered as a result of her job, she insisted that Trump and her other bosses at the White House have made sure that she is able to prioritize her role as a mother, no matter what else is going on at work.

"My priority is to always make it home for my kids' bedtime," she said. "I leave at a more reasonable hour than people may think, because that's sort of the line I've drawn to get home and cook dinner and go through the bedtime routine and be a mom."

Leavitt also lifted the lid on the other aspects of her daily routine, telling the publication that she usually began her press briefings at 5 a.m., although she was finding time thrice weekly for a 5:30 a.m. workout, which usually involved a weight-lifting session in the White House gym.

From there, she would move to her office, where she'd comb through the morning's newspapers, while watching ongoing coverage on all the major news networks, noting that she focused her efforts largely on Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.

Daily check-ins with the president are also an essential part of her day, helping to shape the narrative that she then shares with the world's media from the White House briefing room.

On her rare days off, Leavitt said she focused on spending time with her husband and son at their home in Northern Virginia, and also attending church, noting that "faith is at the center of our home and our marriage and raising a child."