White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will return to the briefing room Thursday afternoon for her first appearance since taking maternity leave, hours before President Donald Trump is expected to deliver an address on election security.
Leavitt, who gave birth to her daughter in May, is scheduled to brief reporters at 1 p.m. after several months away.
During her absence, a rotating cast of administration officials filled in, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose turn at the podium fueled fresh speculation about his 2028 ambitions.
Later in the evening, at 9 p.m., Trump is set to address the nation. While the White House has not released details of the speech, multiple outlets report that the president may revisit his long-standing and unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Some Republicans are reportedly worried about what will be said.
“It’s going to be a very big announcement,” Trump said during an Oval Office appearance on Tuesday. “Without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.”
On Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened for a second day of hearings on the nomination of Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
