Karoline Leavitt Spilled The Beans On A Big Stressor In Her Age-Gap Marriage

Karoline Leavitt's awkward 32-year age gap with husband Nicholas Riccio has posed some challenges, but it isn't the biggest issue they face. Leavitt revealed that the biggest stressor in their marriage is actually the unpredictable nature of her job. As the White House press secretary under Donald Trump, Leavitt doesn't know when she will be summoned to address reporters. "Honestly, I have PTSD about making plans, so I just don't," she told the Daily Mail in November 2025.

That hectic schedule often means that family time gets pushed to the side, which is hard for the young blonde and her husband. "My husband and I had three different mini weekend getaway vacations this summer. All three got canceled due to foreign policy events," Leavitt told the Daily Mail, adding that Riccio is understanding and does his best to "roll with it."

Riccio knew what he was getting into from the beginning, considering he and Leavitt wed in January, two months after she was chosen to be Trump's press secretary. According to Leavitt, the couple's big age difference has played in their favor. Because Leavitt's husband was already rich when they met, he had the time and resources to support her from the sidelines. "He has built a very successful business himself, so now he's fully supportive of me building my success in my career," she said on "The Megyn Kelly Show" in February 2025.

Karoline Leavitt made history as the youngest White House Press Secretary, but the feat meant that her very demanding, very public job would have to intersect with her life as a soon-to-be mother. As such, she has had to balance work and motherhood from the moment she gave birth — literally. While she had already planned to forgo an extended maternity leave, she still expected to take about eight weeks to recover from childbirth. That didn't happen.

The assassination attempt of Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, happened just three days after Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio's son, Niko, was born. Leavitt, who was then the national spokeswoman during Trump's presidential campaign, saw it live on TV. "I had just brought my newborn, my three-day-old baby home from the hospital. And I said, 'I'm going to turn on the television and watch the rally today,'" she recalled in an October 2024 interview with The Conservateur. 

After seeing the frantic experience from afar, she felt compelled to be alongside her boss and colleagues. "I looked at my husband and said, 'Looks like I'm going back to work,'" Leavitt said, adding that she returned to work four days after giving birth. Riccio apparently stepped up to the plate, and the 60-something dad will probably have to do the same in 2026, considering the couple is about to have another child. In December 2025, Leavitt announced that she and Riccio are expecting a baby girl in May 2026. Only time will tell what her postpartum experience will be like the second time around, and if she'll get more than four days to recover.