Lara Trump Brags Pregnant Karoline Leavitt Is a 'Machine' While Addressing Maternity Leave Plans — as Rumors Swirl Over Who Will Replace Her as Press Secretary
Candidates are lining up to replace Karoline Leavitt when the press secretary has her second baby.
Dec. 29 2025, Published 2:58 p.m. ET
Pregnant Karoline Leavitt can cross one high-profile name off the long list of candidates to replace her, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
President Trump's press secretary recently announced she is expecting her second child with her much older husband, Nicholas Riccio.
Love It And Leavitt
Leavitt announced last week that she is expecting baby number two.
Leavitt, 28, and Riccio, 60, already share a son, Nicholas "Niko" Robert Riccio, who was born in July 2024. Now, with baby number two due in May, speculation has already begun about who could replace her while she is on maternity leave.
However, whoever takes over, Lara Trump, one of Leavitt's biggest fans, said don't expect to start the job till after the baby comes.
"Karoline Leavitt is a machine. She’s incredible. And she's going nowhere," Eric Trump's wife told Fox News, adding: "We're all going to be watching as Karoline Leavitt absolutely schools the fake news media while she's probably 8 and 9 months pregnant."
Still, Leavitt's likely to take some form of leave, while the work in Washington never stops. And already a list of possible replacement press secretaries is growing.
High among the names is Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who was reportedly cited by three sources.
"She's the top choice for 90 percent of the admin," one insider told the Daily Mail, while another former White House official agreed: "Tricia is a good name."
Next in Line
She and her husband already share a son, Niko.
Another candidate being floated is NewsNation host Katie Pavlich. The 37-year-old spent nearly a decade with Fox News before only recently joining competitor NewsNation.
Others floated as potential candidates include Kellyanne Conway, Trump's first-term senior advisor, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Chief of US Protocol Monica Crowley, and political activist Riley Gaines.
However, whoever wins the job will have some "pretty large shoes to fill," according to the insider, who shared anybody seeking to speak for Trump likely needs to be a "more household name, like a TV personality."
Sharing the Big News
Leavitt and Riccio have a 32-year age gap.
As Radar reported, Leavitt shared her news on Friday, December 26, in a series of photos in which she gushed while cradling her baby bump in a white sweater dress.
"My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth," she continued.
Hard-working mom Leavitt went on to thank her boss, President Trump, and his White House staff for their encouragement throughout her second pregnancy.
"I am also extremely grateful to President Trump and our Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for their support and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House. 2026 is going to be a great year, and I am so excited to be a girl mom!" the New Hampshire native added in her pregnancy announcement.
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Leavitt's Love Story
She is expected to return to her job after maternity leave.
Leavitt met the successful real estate developer in 2022 when she was running for a congressional seat in New Hampshire.
"A mutual friend of ours hosted an event at a restaurant that he owns up in New Hampshire and invited my husband," she revealed during a February appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show. "I was speaking. We met, and we were acquainted as friends."
From there, a romance blossomed despite their more than three-decade age gap.
