White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is married to real estate developer Nicholas Riccio, who is 32 years her senior.
When the news of their relationship broke, many were quick to point out the age difference, but for Leavitt and Riccio, age is just a number when it comes to love.
During an appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show, Leavitt, who is the youngest person ever to hold the role of a White House press secretary, said of her relationship, “I mean it’s a very atypical love story, but he’s incredible.”
The two first met in 2022 when she was running for a Congress seat in New Hampshire. At the time, Leavitt won the Republican nomination, but lost the election.
“A mutual friend of ours hosted an event at a restaurant that he owns up in New Hampshire and invited my husband,” she recalled on the show. “I was speaking. We met and we were acquainted as friends.”
Asked whether the age gap concerned her when the two started dating, Leavitt answered, “He’s built a very successful business himself so now he’s fully supportive of me building my success in my career.”
The couple tied the knot in January 2025. Their son was born just a few days before President Trump got shot during a campaign trail.
She saw the incident on TV and recalled telling her husband, “Looks like I’m going back to work.”
Indeed, the incident led Karoline Leavitt to decide to return to work earlier than expected.
Being a mom to a newborn and having to hold the role of a White House press secretary hasn’t been easy at the beginning. She had to find a way to balance work and parenthood — experience she has shared with the public.
During Trump’s 2024 campaign, she managed press appearances and TV interviews from a home studio while also looking after Niko.
“I think every working mother understands the demands. And no matter where you are, what you’re doing, there is a sense of guilt,” Leavitt told The Christian Broadcasting Network in March 2025. “But I spend every second that I possibly can with my son when I’m home on weekends and evenings.”
Recently, Karoline Leavitt’s husband has found himself in the spotlight, and not for the right reasons. In fact, the White House press secretary is being ‘accused’ of digitally altering photos of him.
For Halloween, she shared a picture of herself, her husband, and their son dressed as a pumpkin on Instagram. However, fans claim she ‘airbrushed’ the pics of him.
“The airbrushing of your hub’s face to make him appear younger was the trick,” one user commented.
“Karoline, Awesome picture but my friends noticed something: The guy on the left seems to have only his face photoshopped. His hands look like 60+ years old,” a second said, before asking, “What happened?”
A third wondered, “Why does her husband look 50 but she only 28 yrs old,” with a fourth pointing out, “Man that smoothing filter on her old man’s forehead working overtime.”
“Lol you photoshopped your old geezer husband,” a fourth posted, while another user added, “You can’t hide your grandhusband’s old age with Photoshop girl!”
