Karoline Leavitt made U.S. history in January 2025 when she became the youngest White House press secretary at only 27 years old. The controversial Gen Z Republican is Team Donald Trump all the way, and is so passionate about the election being stolen from him in 2020 that it’s actually tarnished her reputation.
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After giving her first press conference in her new role, the internet became obsessed with finding out everything it could about the New Hampshire native who was once booted off CNN for hostile behavior. Though politics seems to be Leavitt’s main focus in life, she is also a proud wife to Nicholas Riccio and mother to son Niko. Her Instagram bio even lists those titles before her professional one: “Wife. Mother. Trump White House Press Secretary.”
Leavitt and Riccio got engaged on Christmas Day in 2023, which Leavitt announced to fans on Instagram with a carousel, but it’s unclear when they officially tied the knot.
They have a large age gap
There is quite a bit of time between Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio’s birthdays. While Leavitt is not even 30 yet, her husband is pushing 60; he’s currently 59 years old. That means the couple has a 32-year age gap. Wowza. They aren’t even from the same generation: Leavitt is Gen Z and Riccio is on the cusp of being a boomer — aka Gen Z’s arch-nemesis — but is actually an older Gen X member. Generation X members were born between 1965 and 1979, while Generation Z people were born between 1995 and 2012.
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The heart wants what the heart wants, but their relationship is still raising eyebrows with the public. Of course, Leavitt and Riccio are hardly the first couple to have a large age gap; plenty of other celebrity couples have big age differences. But it’s still interesting that two people literally born in different generations would end up marrying each other. According to a social media post, Leavitt shared she met her husband through “a mutual friend at a political function” (via Daily Mail).
Nicholas Riccio wasn’t part of Karoline Leavitt’s baby announcement
Five days after Karoline Leavitt welcomed her and Nicholas Riccio’s son, Niko, the political figure shared the happy news in a carousel on Instagram. Concerned people asked Leavitt where he was, and she shared at the time, according to The Sun, “He’s right by our side!”
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The Daily Mail also reported that Leavitt told fans her husband isn’t into social media and is 100% not an extrovert. “I respect his privacy on here — but he’s my number one fan, the best dad, and just the best man I’ve ever met,” she said. However, the family trio was photographed about a month later, even though Riccio’s head is partly cut off.
Many public figures’ partners aren’t on social media, but that didn’t stop people from leaving nasty comments about their relationship. “You’re [sic] ‘husband’ could be your grandfather. Yet you judge everyone else, disgusting,” one person wrote on Leavitt’s baby announcement on Instagram.
They might not be as politically aligned as they seem
Before Nicholas Riccio became known online as “Karoline Leavitt’s husband,” he was a savvy real estate developer and multi-millionaire entrepreneur who owns Riccio Enterprises LLC. But prior to that, he was homeless. According to a 2005 article from seacoastonline.com, Riccio was able to turn his life around by buying a lot of condemned buildings in Hampton, New Hampshire and fixing them up.
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Donald Trump certainly doesn’t put homeless and poor people at the forefront of his decisions. Recently, Trump wanted to halt federal assistance funding — a move that was blocked by a judge. The National Low Income Housing Coalition Interim President and CEO Renee Willis spoke out about the situation. “The court’s decision gives advocates and congressional champions more time to oppose this extreme order, which could prevent states and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and low-income families from receiving the critical resources needed to address our nation’s most pressing affordable housing and homelessness challenges.” But, if Leavitt backs Trump’s choice to leave lower income citizens out to dry, then that kind of seems like a slap in the face to what her husband had to endure before he became financially successful.
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