“Karoline is Irreplaceable”: Marco Rubio Eager for White House Press Secretary’s Return After Covering Maternity Leave

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is taking a well-deserved maternity break — and Secretary of State Marco Rubio isn’t shy about admitting the role isn’t quite the same without her.

Leavitt, 28, who has been the public face of press briefings since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, welcomed her daughter, Viviana, on May 1 with husband Nicholas Riccio, 60. Their son, Nicholas “Niko” Riccio, will turn two this July. Leavitt officially went on leave April 27.

In her absence, Rubio stepped up to the podium on May 5 for a high-energy press briefing, fielding reporters’ questions for nearly an hour. But he was quick to clarify his temporary stint doesn’t make him a permanent replacement.

“Karoline is irreplaceable… I was just a pinch-hitter,” Rubio told Fox News’ Sean Hannity aboard Air Force One, where he was traveling with Trump to meet President Xi Jinping in China. “We can’t wait until Karoline gets back.”

Leavitt has not confirmed when she will return, but reports suggest she plans to take a longer break than she did after the birth of Niko in 2024 — a leave cut short just days after an assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. A White House source told the Washington Post last week that the duration of Leavitt’s maternity leave “is still to be determined.”

Hannity joked that moonlighting as press secretary wasn’t Rubio’s first extra role in the White House, and Rubio laughed: “Well, yeah, I don’t know if I’d have fun if I had to do it every week.”

Rubio, who recently took over the White House National Security Council following a reshuffle of Trump’s advisers, is no stranger to juggling multiple high-profile responsibilities. His predecessor, Mike Waltz, had to step aside after a Signal chat mishap leaked sensitive information about military operations in Yemen. Rubio has also become the first Secretary of State since Henry Kissinger to serve simultaneously as Trump’s national security adviser.

Meanwhile, Leavitt made history as the first White House press secretary to give birth while in office. Her last public appearance before leave was on April 25 at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner alongside her husband, Nicholas, and a press conference immediately after a thwarted assassination attempt against the president.

Until she returns, Rubio will hold the fort — but everyone in Washington seems to agree: no one can replace Karoline Leavitt.