White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is back at the briefing room podium on Thursday, the first time since she went on maternity leave earlier this year.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is expected to hold a news briefing at 1 p.m. EDT. Watch in the video player above.
Leavitt last held a briefing on April 24 before taking leave and giving birth to a daughter on May 1. She returned to work at the White House in late June.
While she was away, the White House leaned on a rotating cast of cabinet members to fill in, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Leavitt's return comes ahead of a national address Trump is scheduled to deliver Thursday evening. The president has said he will discuss topics including elections and voting machines.
Leavitt teases Trump's primetime address and World Cup visit
She kicked off the briefing with a scheduling update, highlighting Trump's national address planned for Thursday evening.
"President Trump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections. And we encourage every American to tune in," Leavitt said.
She added that Trump will head to New York City on Friday for a FIFA reception at Trump Tower ahead of his appearance at the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday.
White House press secretary punts on who Trump wants to win the World Cup
Asked if Trump will be cheering for Argentina given the hard feelings he has toward Spain, Karoline Leavitt answered a reporter's question with, "It's a really good question."
"And I'm disappointed in myself for not asking the president before I came out here, knowing you would probably ask," she said at her briefing Thursday. "I haven't talked to him about it. But we'll get you an answer on that. You're welcome to ask him yourself at some point before the game. I'm sure you'll see him, and I'm sure he'll have a fun answer for you on it."
Leavitt says White House staffer accused of profiting off position is on unpaid leave
Asked about reports that a teleprompter operator for Trump is accused of placing online bets using inside knowledge from his job, Leavitt said the employee has been put on unpaid leave.
"I'm aware of the report; the president is too. I spoke with him about it. He believes it's deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace," Leavitt said Thursday.
WATCH: Trump believes his Kalshi-betting teleprompter operator is a 'disgrace,' Leavitt says
Leavitt said she does not know of other White House employees accused of similar allegations, adding that the White House has "extremely strict, ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this."
Reports from ABC News and other outlets say Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president, is in talks with federal regulators to settle allegations that he used inside knowledge from Trump's speeches to win more than $100,000 on the predictions market Kalshi.
Leavitt says cuts at CDC and FDA haven't affected response to parasite outbreak
Asked about a surge in infections from the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora, Leavitt said the administration is "closely monitoring the situation" and tracing the outbreak's source.
States are reporting record numbers of cases of infections, and health officials have not yet definitively identified what's causing the spike.
It comes after the administration made significant cuts to food safety programs at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year. Asked if those cuts have slowed the government's response, Leavitt said no.
"We've talked to the CDC and FDA specifically about that, and not at all," she said. "They have the resources they need to make sure that Americans are fully informed and protected from this illness during this time."
Leavitt says Trump administration isn't sending mixed signals on Iran
The press secretary was asked about Trump saying the U.S. couldn't negotiate with Iran because they lie, even as Vice President JD Vance has expressed frustration about being criticized by hawkish elements while he's sought to negotiate with Iran.
Leavitt said that was no contradiction, adding, "I can tell you the president and vice president are on the exact same page about where we are right now in this conflict."
Pressed separately on Trump continuing to insist that the U.S. military wasn't responsible for striking an Iranian girl's school at the start of the war, Leavitt said, "That's the president's opinion" only, suggesting what he said wasn't a fact.
She also said that, at the Defense Department, "the investigation continues" into the incident.
Leavitt won't say whether Trump will accept midterm results; Vance says administration will
Leavitt declined to answer when asked if Trump's upcoming speech on "election integrity" meant the president might not be willing to accept the results of November's midterms.
But Vance was far more definitive.
Asked by reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday about November, Vance said, "Of course we're gonna support the results of the midterm elections."
"We think we're going to win. But ultimately that's up to the American people," the vice president said then. "But we also think we have to do everything that we can to discourage cheating."
Trump and Vance have jointly pushed for approval of the Save Act, which is stalled in Congress. Even if it were to pass, however, the proposal wouldn't affect the midterms.
Leavitt says ICE is still stopping vehicles after Trump opposed agents not doing so
"Vehicle stops are continuing. Verbal guidance has been given to all field offices across the country by the Department of Homeland Security," Leavitt said.
She added that such stops "are a necessary tool that ICE agents need in order" to continue what she calls "their deportation campaign of the worst of the worst."
Trump posted on his social media site on Wednesday that ICE agents should keep pulling over vehicles – just a day after officials said they'd be suspending most such stops.
ICE's enforcement tactics are coming under renewed criticism after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a week.