White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Friday that she and her husband are expecting their second child, a baby girl due in May next year.“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother,” Leavitt wrote in an Instagram post, which showed her cradling her baby bump in front of a Christmas tree. “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.”In the same post, Leavitt thanked President Donald Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles for their support “and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House.”Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, welcomed their first child, also named Nicholas, in July 2024. Since then, Leavitt has spoken frequently about balancing motherhood with the demands of working on the Trump campaign and later serving in the White House.In a 2024 interview with right-wing outlet The Conservateur, Leavitt described returning to work just four days after giving birth, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.“I felt compelled to be present in this historic moment,” she told the outlet. “The president literally put his life on the line to win this election. The least I could do is get back to work quickly.”
About her husband, Nicholas Riccio
Leavitt’s relationship with Nicholas Riccio began well before the couple married in January 2025. They welcomed their son, Nicholas Robert ‘Niko’ Riccio, in July 2024, and months later, just ahead of Trump’s second inauguration, officially tied the knot.As the youngest White House press secretary in US history, Leavitt has spoken openly about both her age and the couple’s 32-year 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.Riccio grew up in Hudson, New Hampshire, as one of four siblings. After experiencing financial difficulties while attending Plymouth State University, he pivoted into real estate and later founded Riccio Enterprises. He went on to become a prominent property owner in Hampton Beach, where he controls more than 15 buildings, primarily rented to families.
How they met
The couple first met in 2022, when Leavitt was campaigning for a congressional seat in New Hampshire. She later said 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, recalling their first encounter.At the time, Leavitt was 25 and Riccio was in his late 50s. She has acknowledged that the age difference initially made conversations with her family difficult.“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 said on Pod Force One with Miranda Devine, adding that Riccio now shares a warm and respectful relationship with her parents.
