White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is back at work after welcoming her second child on May 1. During a recent interview, she credited her husband with making it easier for her to return to her job in the Trump administration.
During a recent appearance on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Leavitt explained that she was able to get up so early to appear on the show because her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60, took care of their daughter the night before.
She praised her husband for letting her get some sleep the night before.
Host Ainsley Earhardt described Leavitt, 28, as the “hardest working mom in the United States of America.” Leavitt then clarified that part of the reason she’s able to do so much is due to the way her husband contributes to taking care of their family.
“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,” Leavitt said. “So I’m feeling good.”
Some commenters on social media praised her husband for seeming “helpful,” but others pointed out that the baby is his child too, so he’s not doing anything above and beyond; he’s just being a dad.
Some people also joked that it might be easier for her husband to take care of things at home while she’s at work due to his age. One commenter on Facebook wrote, “Well daddy is in his 60’s he should be retired soon he can help…”
Leavitt was also asked how she manages to do it all.
Fox & Friends tried to frame it as impressive that Leavitt is able to manage working for President Donald Trump and caring for a newborn baby at the same time. In a short clip shared on Facebook and Instagram, Leavitt was asked how she handles having “one of the most demanding jobs in the country” while also being a mom.
Leavitt responded, “Well, I’m still trying to figure out the secret myself. You just do it. You just wake up, and you just do your best every day, day after day.”
Fox & Friends captioned the clip with, “It turns out that yes, you can do it all—and Karoline Leavitt is proving it.” In the comments, people were clearly skeptical. From their perspective, it’s pretty easy for Leavitt to “do it all,” considering her privilege.
“How she does it all? Housekeeper, nanny, cook, and hair and make up person,” one person speculated. Someone else said, “It’s easy when you have a full staff.”
“She’s got a millionaire husband,” another commenter pointed out. “It’s not hard when you can just hire help.”
Plus, people argued that Leavitt is far from the only mom juggling both parenthood and a demanding job.
That, of course, doesn’t mean it’s easy. But people clearly had a hard time believing that Leavitt is more capable than the average parent. Or doing way more work than they are.
“Oh please. Plenty of us do it every day,” one person commented. “Alone or with a partner. No nanny. No housekeeper. No driver. That’s how most of us do it.”
During her Fox and Friends appearance, Leavitt also reflected on how motherhood has changed her perspective. She said, “Becoming a mother changes your perspective on everything… and you realize how blessed we are to live in this country, to bring up babies in a nation where they can be whatever they want to be, where they can be safe and happy and live out their dreams.” To a lot of critics online, this comment also reeked of privilege.
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