White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is going to make history again. The 28-year-old is now the first pregnant press secretary in US history. On Friday, she revealed that she is expecting a baby girl with husband Nicholas Riccio.
“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to Heaven on Earth," Leavitt wrote in an Instagram post, showing off her baby bump.
Who is Karoline Leavitt's husband, Nicholas Riccio?
Leavitt’s relationship with Nicholas Riccio began well before the two got married in January 2025. The couple welcomed their son, Nicholas Robert 'Niko' Riccio, in July 2024, and only months later, just ahead of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, they officially tied the knot.
A massive age gap
{{/usCountry}}Leavitt’s relationship with Nicholas Riccio began well before the two got married in January 2025. The couple welcomed their son, Nicholas Robert 'Niko' Riccio, in July 2024, and only months later, just ahead of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, they officially tied the knot.
A massive age gap
{{/usCountry}}As the youngest White House press secretary in US history, Leavitt has spoken openly about how both her age and the couple’s wide age gap. “I mean it's a very atypical love story, but he's incredible,” she said during a February 2025 appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show.
The two have a 32-year age gap.
Riccio’s roots are in Hudson, New Hampshire, where he grew up as one of four siblings. After facing financial challenges during his time at Plymouth State University, he shifted his focus to real estate, eventually building his own company, Riccio Enterprises. Over time, he became a prominent property owner in Hampton Beach, where he now controls more than 15 buildings that are primarily rented to families.
First meeting
Their first meeting took place in 2022, while Leavitt was campaigning for a congressional seat in New Hampshire. She later recalled that they were introduced at an event hosted by a mutual friend at one of Riccio’s restaurants. “I was speaking. We met and we were acquainted as friends,” she said of that early encounter.
Although Leavitt was only 25 at the time and Riccio was in his late 50s, the connection eventually deepened.
Leavitt has acknowledged that the age gap initially made conversations with her family difficult, especially when she first began dating Riccio. Over time, however, their concerns faded. “But then, of course, once they got to know him and saw who he is as a man, and his character and how much he adores me, I think it became quite easy for them,” she explained on Pod Force One with Miranda Devine, adding that Riccio shares a warm, respectful relationship with her parents.