US Vice President JD Vance sparked laughter during a White House press briefing after joking that press secretary Karoline Leavitt should temporarily take over his job when his wife, Usha Vance, gives birth later this year.
The light-hearted exchange took place Tuesday as Vance filled in for Leavitt at the White House briefing room while she remains on maternity leave following the birth of her second child earlier this month.
What did JD Vance say?
Political commentator Eric Daugherty shared a clip of the moment on X, jokingly writing that Vance agreed to step in as press secretary on “ONE CONDITION.”
Opening the briefing, Vance praised Leavitt and wished her well as she spends time with her family.
“It’s cool to be here. I want to give a shout out, of course, to the person I am replacing today, Karoline Leavitt, who hopefully is at home enjoying some time with her beautiful kids,” Vance said.
He then joked that he had made a deal with Leavitt before agreeing to take over the briefing duties.
“I told Karoline I would stand in for her today for the White House press briefing on the condition that when Usha has our baby in July that she would be vice president for a couple of weeks,” Vance said, drawing laughter from the room.
Karoline Leavitt welcomes second child
According to The US Sun, Leavitt gave birth to her daughter Viviana on May 1. Announcing the news on Instagram, she wrote: “She is here, and she is perfect.”
Leavitt, 28, and her husband Nicholas Riccio also share a son, Niko, who was born in July 2024.
The outlet reported that Leavitt delayed the start of her maternity leave following the attempted attack targeting President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner period before officially stepping away from her duties in late April.
She has also made history as the first sitting White House press secretary to become pregnant while serving in the role.
Usha Vance expecting fourth child
Meanwhile, Vance and Usha announced in January that they are expecting their fourth child, another baby boy, due in late July, according to The US Sun.
The couple already share three children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.
Earlier this year, Usha spoke to NBC News about balancing pregnancy with her public role as second lady. “My last pregnancy, there were a lot of sweat pants,” she said. “I was working from home.”
