White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had just gotten home from the hospital with her three-day-old son when Donald Trump was nearly assassinated as he spoke at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
It was at that moment that the 27 year old decided to cut her maternity leave short and return to her role as national press secretary for the Trump campaign and get her boss across the finish line. Those efforts led to her being named the youngest White House press secretary in history.
On Friday’s show, Leavitt joined Megyn to discuss what it is like to be a working mom with an infant and how she is balancing motherhood with the demands of her job.
Return to Office
Leavitt admitted that it was not ideal to return to work four days after giving birth, but becoming a mother during has given her important perspective. “[The assassination attempt] kind of threw me right back to work much sooner than I would have probably expected or hoped,” she shared. “But becoming a mother in the midst of this very chaotic political world that I work in has been the best thing I could have ever imagined because it gives you great perspective and it humbles you.”
That is in part, she said, because seven-month-old Nicholas – whom she calls “Nico” – is oblivious to her work. “My son doesn’t give a crap about my job. He just wants me to come home and snuggle and play toys and be present,” she shared. “It is a difficult balance to prioritize being good at my job and being good as a mother, but I just try to prioritize my time and carve out that time when I can.”
She said she has been able to make it work thanks to her loved ones. “I am so grateful to have the support system I do,” Leavitt added. “[I have] a great husband who can be very present with our child and then, of course, a wonderful mother and father and friends who chip in when I need them.”
Work-Life Balance
With the rise of the #TradWife trend on social media and the conversations it has sparked, Megyn said there seems to be a shift on the right about motherhood. “There is, I think, a good thing, which is the restoration of valuing so-called ‘traditional moms’… the women who take care of the kids full time,” she explained. “But it seems like, on the right, there has been a bit of a shift toward, like, you can’t do what Karoline is doing; that it is actually an unsafe, or a dangerous, or a bad choice for families and for children, which I reject wholesale.”
Leavitt agreed. “I would reject that it is a bad choice. Is it a tough choice? Absolutely. As a mother… you do have that maternal instinct,” she shared. “But also recognizing I am doing this work for my son and for all children to make this country better.”
This role, she said, is particularly unique. “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it is also very temporary,” Leavitt explained. “In four years, my son will be four years old, the president will no longer be at the White House, and then I will move on and do something else.”
Amid the “very long and hard days,” Leavitt said she reminds herself that, in her situation, the “chaos of 24/7 work is a temporary matter.” And she believes she can balance motherhood and her career. “I would reject that you can’t be a good mom and be good at your job. I think you can do both,” she said. “It is not for everybody. It takes a lot of work, and will, and faith, and prayer, and it is hard, but it can be done.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Leavitt by tuning in to episode 1,011 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.