In addition to all of the dehumanizing horrors and constitutional crises that have been unleashed during Donald Trump’s early days back in the White House, there is a whole new cast of characters. One of the new faces is Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s 27-year-old press secretary. After serving the same role during the Trump campaign, she’s now been promoted to mouthpiece for the administration. So what is her deal?
She’s the youngest White House press secretary ever
You might think that 27 is pretty young to handle the responsibility of being the White House press secretary. Well, the New York Times called Leavitt’s podium debut “steely and unflinching.”
As a young person (and a far-right conservative), Leavitt thinks traditional media is cooked. As such, she noted in her first press conference that the Trump administration would be inviting new media representatives into the briefing room. “We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social-media influencers, and content creators to apply,” she said. I’m sure the influencers are going to ask great questions.
Leavitt already has a fan base among the right, who have lauded her for her straightforward, intense vibe. To give you a sense of things, they love this exchange she had with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan:
She has a much older husband
Not that women should be defined by their husbands, but this feels notable. Leavitt is married to Nicholas Riccio, a 59-year-old real-estate developer. Not much is known about Riccio, and she doesn’t post him to her Instagram grid that often. The pair got engaged on Christmas in 2023, and Leavitt wrote at the time, “I get to marry the man of my dreams. I feel SO overwhelmingly BLESSED. Thank you God.”
In July 2024, she gave birth to their son, Nicholas. She told the Times of London that she returned to work three days later, after Trump was shot. “The president literally put his life on the line to win this election. The least I could do is get back to work quickly,” she said.
Leavitt, who has kept her own last name (interesting), did not share photos of a wedding ceremony on Instagram, but her bio reads, “Wife. Mother. Trump White House Press Secretary.” So it seems like they got married at some point during her pregnancy while Trump was running for office. This woman does not know how to take a day off.
She ran for office herself
After working in the first Trump administration as assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany and then as communications director for New York representative Elise Stefanik, Leavitt ran for office herself. In 2022, when she was 25, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire’s First District and won the Republican primary. She received support from heavy hitters such as Ted Cruz, Lauren Boebert, and Stefanik, but ultimately lost the race to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
She has ties to Project 2025
Did you know that the Project 2025 organization offers free, on-demand training courses to “prepare and equip future political appointees now to be ready on day one of the next conservative administration”? The courses promise to provide future appointees with “the insight, background knowledge, and expertise in governance to immediately begin rolling back destructive policy and advancing conservative ideas in the federal government.” Leavitt is one of the instructors for the “Conservative Governance 101” course, where she teaches a lesson called “The Art of Professionalism.”
She’s a Virgo
Just thought we should end on something that’s almost fun.
This post has been updated.