PoliticsKaroline Leavitt Says She Can't Make Plans With Her Husband Due to Her Demanding Job: 'It's Temporary'
Karoline Leavitt opened up about the demands of her White House role and how it affects her family life.
Nov. 26 2025, Published 10:27 a.m. ET
Karoline Leavitt is all in on her White House role right now — even if it means putting her personal life on pause more often than she’d like.
In a new interview, the White House Press Secretary admitted that her job can be so unpredictable that she sometimes has to skip family time. Still, whenever she gets an unexpected free moment, she does everything she can to make it count with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, and their son, Niko.
“Honestly, I have PTSD about making plans, so I just don’t,” Leavitt explained. “We just roll with it. If there’s a night where I happen to become free, then we take full advantage of that as a family.”
Karoline Leavitt said her White House job makes planning nearly impossible.
She admitted that even their best attempts at planning haven't worked out this year.
“My husband and I had three different mini weekend getaway vacations this summer. All three got canceled due to foreign policy events,” she said.
Even with the chaos, Leavitt is staying optimistic.
“But that’s part of the job, and it’s what makes it fun and challenging and keeps every day new. And it’s, you know, it’s temporary. We’re one year down. We’ve got three to go,” she shared.
The White House Press Secretary tries to spend time with her husband and son whenever she can.
Leavitt and Riccio tied the knot in a lavish wedding at Wentworth by the Sea Country Club in January, just days before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Riccio, a successful real estate developer, launched his company Riccio Enterprises after taking real estate courses and building his career in the field.
The pair's three vacations were canceled due to work emergencies.
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As the youngest White House press secretary in history, Leavitt has also been candid about the couple’s 32-year age gap — something she said wasn’t easy to address with her parents at first.
"It’s definitely a challenging conversation to have at first,” she admitted on Miranda Devine’s “Pod Force One” podcast on November 19.
Riccio is actually five years older than Leavitt’s mother, which initially gave her parents pause. But once they met him, everything changed.
"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, and now we’re all friends," she said.
Karoline Leavitt's parents were unsure about her husband at first because of her and Nicholas Riccio's age gap.
She added that the families now blend well.
"I mean, it’s a typical family relationship, and my husband has such respect for my parents in the way that they raised me," Leavitt said. "We all have a lot of fun together when they come to visit.”
The couple welcomed their son in July 2024, before getting married. Leavitt often posts photos with her husband and son on Instagram, sharing glimpses of their life together.
In October, she posted sweet Halloween photos of the trio dressed up for the holiday. She also marked Niko’s first birthday in July with a heartfelt message.
"Today my sweet, happy, sensitive, funny, and handsome baby turned one. What a year it has been," she wrote. "There are no words to describe how much I love this little boy. I thank God every day for making me his mommy. Happy 1st Birthday, my beautiful son. Mama and Dada love you so much.💙."
