Chelsea Clinton announces she is pregnant

Hillary Clinton has made no secret of her desire to be a grandmother and that wish has finally come true -- with Chelsea Clinton announcing at a Clinton Foundation event Thursday that she and her husband are expecting a baby this year.

“Marc and I are very excited that we have our first child arriving later this year,” Chelsea Clinton said to cheers before an audience of young women at the Lower Eastside Girls Club in New York City on Thursday afternoon. “And I certainly feel all the better, whether it’s a girl or a boy, that she or he will grow up in a world full of so many strong, young female leaders. So thank you for inspiring me and inspiring future generations, including the one that we’ll be lucky enough to welcome into our family later this year.”

Chelsea Clinton made the announcement while seated next to her mother at an event for the Clinton Foundation initiative known as No Ceilings, which is focused on helping young girls and women succeed. Moderator America Ferrera, an actress known for her role on the ABC television sitcom “Ugly Betty,” noted that no one in the audience was beaming more than Hillary Clinton.

“I just hope that I will be as good a mom to my child — hopefully children — as my mom was to me,” Chelsea Clinton told the audience, which included young girls from several schools around the country who were participating by Skype.

The timing of the announcement could hold some tea leaves for Hillary Clinton’s decision on whether she will run for president in 2016. Sources close to the former Secretary of State have long said she would have had serious reservations about taking on the grueling schedule that the campaign would require if her daughter were pregnant. But Chelsea Clinton’s announcement that she will deliver her child this year appears to clear that hurdle.

Hillary Clinton did not address her future plans during Thursday’s event, but said she was “really excited” about the news and that it had added new motivation to her work through the Clinton Foundation.

“It makes this work even more important,” Hillary Clinton said of the No Ceilings initiative, “because we’ve made a lot of progress.”

“But I want to see us keep moving, and certainly for future generations as well, so that maybe our grandchild will not have to be worried about some of the things that young women and young men worry about today,” the former Secretary of State said.

“So obviously we are very excited about what’s happening in our family, but we’re also very excited because of what we are doing -- that we hope gives confidence and support to so many of you across our country as you make decisions about the lives you want to lead, and trying to make sure there are no ceilings stopping you from going as far, and as fast and high as you can.”

maeve.reston@latimes.com
Twitter: @MaeveReston