10 Times Karoline Leavitt & Her Older Husband Paid Their Haters Dust

When it comes to political figures with uncomfortable age gaps, Karoline Leavitt and her much older husband are right up there with the worst of 'em. Their massive age gap spans more than 30 years, and the internet has a lot of feelings about that. Unfortunately for the press sec and Nicholas Riccio (who has been given a host of savage nicknames, like "Dad" and "Grandpa"), that's prompted a ton of trolling. However, they seem relatively unfazed for the most part. 

Leavitt first shared glimpses of her man on the 'gram during a family vacation to the Dominican Republic in 2023. At the time, she hadn't specifically mentioned that he was her boyfriend. In fact, at first glance, we might have guessed that he was one of her older relatives in a group pic. Sure enough, though, he was her boyfriend ... and once Leavitt became Donald Trump's press secretary, her haters had a field day with it. 

@karolineleavitt/Instagram

Fast-forward to their first official post as a couple in December 2023, which came after Riccio proposed, and early on, the comments were pretty positive. By 2024, though, things had changed, and the comments section was flooded with Leavitt's detractors. One claimed Riccio had been Leavitt's dad's business partner and that was why she barely posted him pre-engagement. Others questioned whether the diamond was real or lab-grown. However, that was still just the start of the trolling. Soon after Leavitt began her tenure as the White House press secretary, one Instagrammer joked that Riccio was "the grandfather of ur dreams." Others trolled them over the fact that Leavitt was already expecting their first child at the time of the proposal. All in all, it was a lot — but it seems the couple was unbothered. Case in point: Leavitt kept the comments on, and the pictures up. 

It's possible Karoline Leavitt's haters were on to something when they asked why she scarcely posted pics with her husband, because for a long time, she'd include him in a photo dump but never as the first image visible on her grid. Alternatively, she'd pick angles that didn't show him completely. However, in a September 2024 post, they were pictured at a wedding together, and Nicholas Riccio was front and center. 

As is probably to be expected, the pic got a bunch of not-so-friendly comments, but once again, Leavitt kept it up. 

From attending weddings to being at the center of one, in early 2025, Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio said "I do," and several months later, she shared pics of the day to Instagram. 

We may have been shocked to learn the price of Leavitt's dress, but we certainly weren't surprised that the newlyweds (ish) got a bunch of hate post-post. Once again, there were the "grandpa" comments, but as before, the press secretary opted not to respond. She also kept the post up, giving haters an opportunity to keep doing their thing long-term, but clearly she's unbothered. 

One way to get age gap critics off your back? Defend it head-on. At least, that's what Karoline Leavitt did in a February 2025 appearance on "The Megyn Kelly Show." Asked point-blank if the 32-year age difference was weird for her at first, Leavitt shared, "Yes, of course! I mean, it's [a] very atypical love story."

Atypical or not, Leavitt added that Nicholas Riccio was her "rock" and even credited him with encouraging her to follow her dreams. Well, it's one way to tell the haters you're aware of the chatter and DGAF about it.

In late March 2026, Karoline Leavitt showed off her decades-older man once again. However, as per usual, she got roasted for it. Perhaps that was why she went back to posting Nicholas Riccio in a photo dump but not as the cover image, which could have made some think that all the jokes and nicknames were getting to her. Then again, she did still post the snap of them together, so even with the risk of blowback, she was clearly keen to show off her family to her followers and haters alike. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail in late 2025, Karoline Leavitt joked that she had trauma when it came to vacation plans. She explained that she and Nicholas Riccio had had to cancel three weekend getaways over the summer as there was too much happening at the White House. 

It's just as well, then, that when they took a quick break in Palm Beach in early May, they posted poolside pics. Were there haters? Obviously. But as with the other snaps that got a ton of backlash, Leavitt left them up (even if she did keep Riccio in Slide #2). 

Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio might have missed their weekend getaways in the summer of 2025, but they did get to spend the Fourth of July weekend together. And, maybe we're reading too much into it, but it kind of seemed like Leavitt was sending a subtle message when she posted about it. The first pic on the Instagram carousel, and they had their backs to the camera? It's giving unbothered (or we want you to think we are, anyway). 

As always, though, Leavitt's detractors were unfazed by that and continued to troll the couple. Can't win 'em all. 

Next up, Halloween. Just like Independence Day, the Leavitt-Riccio fam celebrated the occasion at the White House, and Karoline Leavitt kicked things off with a first-pic feature for Nicholas Riccio.

As per usual, the comments weren't exactly screaming "Team Karoline." Au contraire, one person wrote, "Father, daughter, and grandson. What a beautiful family picture showing off 3 generations!!!" "So glad your son got to spend time with his grandpa. Special moments," penned another. Leavitt left the pics up, which seemed once again like a message to her detractors that she wouldn't engage.

Just a few days after announcing her second pregnancy, Karoline Leavitt shared a photo dump of her December 2025 highlights, beginning with Nicholas Riccio as the primary pic. As an aside, it's interesting that she began including him more and more as her tenure went on, even with all the criticism — particularly because she'd previously said in her Instagram comments that Riccio was an introvert who "hates social media" (via The Mirror).

Either way, the pics stayed up, even with haters poking fun at their visible age gap. 

Sticking with the whole "He's my husband and I'll post him if I want to (even if I previously said he hates it and we get a bunch of hate every time I do)" thing, Karoline Leavitt shared more pics of her and Nicholas Riccio at the MAGA weddings of Dan Scavino and Alex Bruesewitz, both of which took place on the same weekend in early 2026. 

"Awww your grandfather was your date. So cute!" wrote a commenter. Leavitt left the comment be and kept the picture up. Well, she's consistent.