Rubio Eager for Leavitt’s Return

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his anticipation for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s return from her maternity leave. During a recent interview with Sean Hannity, he referred to the excitement surrounding her comeback as the White House “can’t wait” for her to be back on duty.

Hannity playfully pointed out Rubio’s extensive responsibilities in the current Trump administration, joking about how it seems he keeps adding new roles. “I thought you had a lot of jobs by being the Secretary of State and … the head of the NSA,” he commented, noting Rubio’s temporary role as the White House press secretary.

Last week, Rubio stepped in for Leavitt during a press briefing, where he humorously described the atmosphere as “chaos.” He made it clear, however, that while he enjoyed the experience, “Karoline is irreplaceable.”

Hannity remarked that Rubio seemed to be “having fun” behind the podium, to which Rubio replied, “I don’t know I’d have fun if I had to do it every week, but one time ain’t too bad. And I enjoyed it, and it was about foreign policy mostly, so I was honored to be able to do it. But we can’t wait till Karoline gets back. She had a beautiful baby, and we wish her the best. But we can’t wait to see her back.”

Leavitt was originally scheduled to hold a press briefing on April 24th, but plans shifted due to an emergency following an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Having been seated with Trump and First Lady Melania, she promptly returned to her duties that Monday, pushing back her leave in light of the situation.

Leavitt welcomed her daughter, Viviana, on May 1st. Having previously cut her maternity leave short after the birth of her son, Nicholas, due to Trump’s first assassination attempt, she displayed dedication to her role, returning just days after giving birth at that time.

While Leavitt is on leave, she has reassured reporters that they would be well taken care of by the rotating team of White House staffers, which includes Rubio stepping up as needed.