It was a quiet Saturday gesture, but it spoke volumes. Karoline Leavitt, currently home on maternity leave, paused her recovery to give a public shoutout to Margo Martin the woman who has quietly stepped further into the spotlight while the press secretary has been away from the podium.
Martin, who serves as Trump's special assistant and communications advisor, became an unlikely topic of conversation following the president's trip to Beijing for a high-profile summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photos and footage from the visit went viral for a reason that had little to do with geopolitics multiple people online pointed out that Martin bore a striking resemblance to Melania Trump, and she was mistaken for the First Lady more than once during the trip.
Trump, never one to hold back a compliment, leaned into the attention. He publicly described Martin as "the most beautiful girl in the world," a comment that quickly made the rounds. It wasn't entirely out of character he had previously praised her as "the most beautiful photographer in the world" as well.
A Loyal Fixture in Trump's Inner Circle
Martin's rise within Trump's communications operation didn't happen overnight. After the 2020 election loss, when many staffers distanced themselves from the former president, Martin made the decision to relocate to West Palm Beach and continue working with him. That kind of loyalty tends to matter in Trump's world, and it's part of why she carried over into his second term.
Today, she runs the official @TeamTrump social media accounts and handles everything from behind-the-scenes documentation to overseeing major video productions. The China trip content she produced which Leavitt shared on her Instagram Story was a polished highlight reel of the summit, the kind of work that keeps Trump's digital presence sharp and consistent.
Leavitt Steps Back Into the Conversation
Leavitt, 28, gave birth to her second child, daughter Viviana, earlier this month with her husband Nicholas Riccio, 60. She's been largely offline in her official capacity since then, but the Instagram Story post showed she's still keeping tabs on what's happening in the administration and that she has nothing but good things to say about her colleague.
"The content queen strikes again," she wrote, a phrase that was equal parts compliment and playful acknowledgment of Martin's growing profile.
Trump's Track Record of Commenting on His Female Staffers' Looks
Of course, the situation carries an extra layer of irony when you consider that Leavitt herself has been on the receiving end of similar comments from the president. Trump has made remarks about her appearance on multiple occasions, most notably at a December 2025 rally at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pennsylvania, where he went off-script in a particularly memorable way.
"You know, when she goes on television, Fox, as I mean, they dominate," he told the crowd. He then launched into a description of Leavitt's face and lips, mimicking a "machine gun" with his mouth before adding, "She's got no fear."
The comments drew attention at the time both for their oddity and because they came from the most powerful person in the country about a member of his own staff.
A Complicated Moment Before Her Leave
What made Leavitt's departure on maternity leave even more layered was the context surrounding it. Just before she stepped away, Trump made a rather candid and puzzling comment to reporters about his media coverage, which some interpreted as a veiled jab at his own press secretary.
Reflecting on what he described as overwhelmingly negative press, Trump said in March: "I got 93% bad publicity, some people say 97... maybe Karoline's doing a poor job, I don't know." The comment raised eyebrows, especially since it came shortly after the high-profile firings of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi two dismissals that had generated significant media coverage on their own.
Whether it was a genuine musing or an off-the-cuff remark with no real edge to it, it wasn't exactly the send-off most people would hope for heading into maternity leave.
For now though, Leavitt appears to be focused on her growing family and supporting her colleagues from the sidelines. Her "content queen" caption may have been brief, but in the world of Washington communications, even a two-word compliment on Instagram can say quite a lot.
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