At just 27, White House Press Secretary Karoline Claire Leavitt’s political career has been rapid. She has taken on significant roles in Republican politics and eventually became the youngest White House Press Secretary when Donald Trump assumed office a second time.
While her professional life keeps her in the spotlight, her personal life stirs dinner conversation. In January 2025, Leavitt married real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, 32 years her senior.
The couple’s 32-year age gap has been subject to widespread scrutiny and media attention. They met while she ran for a congressional seat in New Hampshire in 2022.
Their unlikely romance became headline fodder, but behind the soundbites is a far more layered story.
From Intern to Press Secretary: A Look at Karoline Leavitt’s Political Journey
Karoline Claire Leavitt was born on August 24, 1998, in Atkinson, New Hampshire. She and her brothers attended Catholic school in nearby Lawrence, while their parents ran small family businesses: an ice cream stand and a used truck dealership.
Growing up in a household where Fox News was always on, Leavitt developed an early fascination with conservative media. She attended Saint Anselm College on a softball scholarship and originally aimed to intern at Fox News.
Instead, she pivoted to the Trump White House, a decision that would reshape her path entirely. During that time, she wrote an op-ed in The Saint Anselm Crier criticizing the “unjust, unfair, and sometimes just plain old false” narratives of the liberal media during the 2016 election.
After graduating in 2019 with a degree in politics and communication, Leavitt began her career in the White House correspondence office. She quickly climbed the ranks to serve as assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany.
Following Trump’s 2020 election loss, Leavitt aligned herself with widespread voter fraud claims, despite no evidence backing them. In 2021, she became communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a key MAGA figure, before stepping down to run for Congress herself.
Though she won the Republican primary, she lost the general election. Still, the campaign raised her national profile, and she later served as spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc. during Trump’s 2024 presidential bid.
In January 2025, at just 27 years old, Leavitt became the youngest White House press secretary in US history (per The Washington Post).
She delivered her first press conference on January 28, opening with a combative dismissal of legacy media: “Millions of Americans, especially young people, have turned from traditional television outlets and newspapers.
She added that the White House intended to adapt to a “new media landscape” (per The New York Times), though her debut wasn’t without controversy; she falsely claimed that $50 million in taxpayer funds were allocated for condoms in the Gaza Strip (per AP News).
Who Is Karoline Leavitt’s Husband?
Nicholas Riccio grew up in Hudson, N.H., and is one of four children. After graduating from high school, he attended Plymouth State University, during which time he faced financial turmoil (per Sunday Herald).
During an appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show in February 2025, Leavitt revealed that she met him at an event hosted by a mutual friend at a restaurant in 2022. She was speaking at the event, and the two happened to cross paths.
This was while Leavitt was running a congressional campaign in New Hampshire, where she won the Republican nomination but ultimately lost the seat to Democrat Chris Pappas. Leavitt shared that she and Riccio were acquainted at the event as friends and eventually “fell in love.”
The White House Press Secretary praised her husband, raving about how he’s her greatest supporter and best friend. Karoline Leavitt married Nicholas Riccio after three years of dating in January 2025, a few days before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
She remarked that he was incredibly supportive of her career and owns a very successful business.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Addresses 32-Year Age Gap
With a million eyes on her, there has been raging public scrutiny surrounding the 32-year age gap between Leavitt and her husband Riccio. She acknowledged their “atypical” love story on The Megyn Kelly Show but remarked that her husband is an “incredible” partner.
Karoline Leavitt shared that he’d been her pillar of support during a very chaotic period of life. She described him as an introvert to her social media followers and that she respects his privacy, citing it as a reason for seldom posting him on her Instagram feed.
The lovebirds got engaged over Christmas 2024, and the press secretary took to Instagram to share the news, posting a picture of their proposal with the caption, “The best Christmas of my life.” She referred to Riccio as the man of her dreams.
Leavitt and Riccio welcomed their son, Nicholas Robert Riccio, affectionately called “Niko,” on July 10, 2024, just six months before their wedding.
She later described her husband as the “best dad” and frequently credits him as a steady presence in both her personal and professional life.
Announcing the birth on Instagram, Leavitt shared, “My heart has grown bigger than I ever imagined possible. Babies are the ultimate blessing, and I’m bursting with gratitude for our beautiful, happy, healthy boy.”
Just days later, following the July 13 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Leavitt, still technically on maternity leave, returned to the campaign trail.
In an October 2024 interview with The Conservateur, she recalled turning to her husband and saying, “Looks like I’m going back to work.”
Nicholas Riccio Had a Rough Start Before He Struck Gold
Nicholas Riccio’s ascent to becoming a multimillionaire is an inspiring rags-to-riches story. In an interview with the Portsmouth Herald in March 2005, he opened up about how there used to be a point in life when he was homeless.
Riccio had a difficult childhood, growing up in a low-income household with three siblings. His parents got divorced when he was a child, and he lost his mother to cancer.
When he turned 18, he moved out of his family home and couch-surfed with his friends, with nowhere else to go.
Reflecting on his early struggles, Riccio once said, “When I was 19 or 20, I would call my buddies to go over to their houses to watch a game just so I could shower.”
He graduated from Alvirne High School in Hudson in 1983 and later earned his degree from Plymouth State University.
After college, Riccio enrolled in a real estate course and began what would become a multimillion-dollar career. In the early days, he flipped houses and took bold financial risks, borrowing money at interest rates as high as 100 percent.
Those gambles paid off. Over time, Riccio built a thriving real estate business under Riccio Enterprises LLC and its subsidiary, Nautical Beach Properties.
Now 59, he manages beachfront homes in New Hampshire and holds an estimated net worth of $6 million (per Realtor).
Karoline Leavitt Finds It Challenging to Navigate Motherhood and Politics
In an April 2025 interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Karoline Leavitt spoke candidly about the emotional toll of juggling life as a new mother and White House Press Secretary.
At 27, she admitted to feeling frequent guilt when away from her son Niko, but said she makes a conscious effort to leave work behind once she’s home.
Leavitt shared that she aims to be present for bedtime “as much as I can throughout the week.” She credited her Catholic upbringing and years playing softball for helping instill the discipline and drive that fuel her career in politics.
Reflecting on motherhood, she acknowledged, “No matter where you are, what you’re doing, there is a sense of guilt” (per The Mirror).
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio Made a Rare Public Appearance as a Family
Though Nicholas Riccio avoids the spotlight, he occasionally joins his wife at public events. Most recently, the couple made a rare family appearance at the 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll with their 9-month-old son, Niko.
Riccio wore a tan suit and purple tie, while Leavitt, dressed in blue, pushed Niko in a stroller across the South Lawn (per The Daily Beast).
Leavitt later shared moments from the holiday on Instagram, including a tender photo of Riccio holding their son with the caption, “Dada always has our backs” (per Irish Star).
Despite her sharp presence at the podium, Leavitt faces intense scrutiny, from public reactions to her 32-year age gap with Riccio to the pressure of navigating motherhood in politics.
Through it all, Riccio has remained a quiet but steady force behind her, supporting her every step of the way.
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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