US4 min(s) read
Published 09:21 20 May 2026 GMT
Vice President JD Vance has revealed the one condition he had before filling in for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is now on maternity leave.
Vance took to the podium in the White House briefing room on Tuesday (May 19) to address the absence of Leavitt.
Speaking with reporters for just under an hour, Vance took the opportunity to make a light-hearted joke about the situation, mentioning the press secretary.
Leavitt, 28, welcomed her daughter, Viviana, to the world on May 1, describing her as "perfect" in a social media post.
It is the government official's second child with Nicolas Riccio, 60, following the birth of their son Nico in July 2024.
Apparently, Vance had one particular condition for Leavitt before she took time away from her role.
The Vice President told the press: “It’s cool to be here. I’m going to give a shoutout of course, to the person I am replacing today, Karoline Leavitt, who hopefully is at home enjoying some time with her beautiful kids.”
“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 joked, to laughter from the press.
The shout-out was seemingly well-received by those on social media, as users branded Trump's right-hand man as "playful" and "funny".
Leavitt announced the arrival of her daughter with an Instagram post where she can be seen cuddling her newborn, writing: “She is here, and she is perfect.”
The White House spokesperson stepped away from her duties as press secretary on April 27, after she had no choice but to delay her maternity leave after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, back in April.
The press secretary had become the first in history in her position to become pregnant while in office, and she's not alone.
Vance's wife, Usha, 40, is also setting a precedent as the first second lady in modern history to be pregnant while assuming the position.
Vance, 41, and Usha announced they were expecting a fourth child back in January.
The baby boy is due in late July, following their previous three kids: Ewan, eight, Vivek, five, and Mirabel, four.
Speaking to NBC News in March this year, Usha said that the pregnancy is different from her previous three, as she has needed to dress up more to fulfill her role as Second Lady in the White House.
The Vice President met his future wife in law school, explaining the intricacies of the relationship in his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which will be released on June 16.
He admitted to one of his best friends, Mike, at the time, that he couldn't get one of his classmates off his mind.
Her name? Usha Bala Chilukuri.
Vance was in his first year of law school at Yale and had been telling his buddy about classmates and girls on campus.
Speaking of Usha, as they were in the same study group, he admitted: “Dude, I think I’m obsessed with this chick in my small group. It’s unhealthy.”
He added in the memoir shared with USA TODAY: "I told him all about her: That she was smarter than everyone. That her smile could light up a room. That she had the most amazing posture."
While it may seem quite wholesome, it turns out that Vance hadn't always felt this open about prospective relationships, claiming previously that he may not have the "gene" to fall deeply in love with someone.
