The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has temporarily replaced Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is currently on maternity leave for her second child. For the foreseeable future, Rubio and other members of the administration will reportedly handle press briefings.
Marco Rubio will take questions in place of Karoline Leavitt
Earlier this week, Marco Rubio replaced Karoline Leavitt, briefing the press instead of the White House Press Secretary. During the press meet on May 5, he spoke about Project Freedom. It is the United States’ new operation to help merchant ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz amid the dual-sided blockade between the U.S. and Iran.
“The goal of it is to rescue, like, almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries that are trapped inside the gulf and left for dead, in the Persian Gulf by this Iranian regime,” Rubio said during his opening statement. Elsewhere in the briefing, he clarified that it will be a “defensive” mission, and that the U.S. will respond only if “attacked first.”
Reportedly, Rubio won’t be the only one handling the press brief. Other members of the administration will also take part for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, Rubio will reportedly fly to Rome and Vatican City this week, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV. The two will discuss the U.S. policies and the Iran War.
“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere. Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment,” read the official statement from the department (via The Hill).
Meanwhile, Leavitt delivered her second child at the beginning of this month. She introduced her newborn, a girl, with an Instagram post. She captioned it, “On May 1st, Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love.”
Leavitt also has a two-year-old son, Nicholas “Niko” Robert Riccio, whom she shares with her husband, Nicholas Riccio.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on Mandatory.
