Karoline Leavitt Biography 2026: Age, Husband Nicholas Riccio, Children, White House Press Secretary & Fox News

Karoline Claire Leavitt (born August 24, 1997) is an American political spokesperson who served as the 36th White House press secretary from January 2025 to August 2026 — the youngest person and the first member of Generation Z to hold the job. She left the White House to spend more time with her family and joined Fox News as a contributor beginning November 1, 2026.

Her tenure was defined by a deliberate break with briefing-room precedent: a “new media” seat, direct control over the White House press pool, combative exchanges with reporters, and an unusually close alignment with President Trump’s communication style. Here is everything to know about her age, husband, children, career, and the controversies that followed her.

Quick Facts

Fans who follow Karoline Leavitt often also search for Donald Trump, Nicholas Riccio, Katie Zacharia, Chris Pappas, Elise Stefanik, and Kayleigh McEnany — the president she served, her husband, her successor, the man she lost a congressional race to, and the mentors in her orbit.

Early Life & Education

Karoline Claire Leavitt was born on August 24, 1997, in Atkinson, New Hampshire, the third and youngest child of Bob and Erin Leavitt. Her family owned an ice cream stand in Atkinson, and her father ran a used truck dealership in nearby Plaistow — a working-class background she has emphasized throughout her career.

She attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she played softball and was named an Eagle-Tribune All-Star in 2014 and 2015. She has credited her Catholic education as formative, shaping her views on faith, family, discipline, public service, and abortion.

Leavitt entered Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, in 2015 on a softball scholarship, majoring in communications and minoring in political science. She founded the school’s broadcasting club, wrote for the Saint Anselm Crier, interned for a U.S. senator and the television station WMUR, and spent one semester at John Cabot University in Rome. She graduated in 2019 — the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree.

Career Journey

White House Staff and Elise Stefanik (2019–2021)

After graduation, Leavitt took a job in the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence, answering letters sent to President Trump, and rose to associate director by June 2020. That same month she was named an assistant White House press secretary. She attended the September 2020 Rose Garden event that became the start of the White House COVID-19 outbreak and later tested positive herself.

In January 2021, weeks before Trump left office, she became communications director for New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik — a role that placed her at the center of the party’s pro-Trump wing.

Running for Congress in New Hampshire (2021–2022)

Leavitt announced her campaign for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district in July 2021 and raised $100,000 within three days. She positioned herself as the most pro-Trump candidate in the Republican primary, attacking opponent Matt Mowers as insufficiently loyal, and won the September 2022 primary with 34.4 percent of the vote. At 25, she became the first Republican member of Generation Z to win a House primary.

She lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas, 54 percent to 45.9 percent. The campaign later became the subject of an FEC complaint, and in January 2025 she disclosed $326,370 in unpaid campaign debts — roughly $200,000 of which came from donations that exceeded legal limits.

MAGA Inc. and the 2024 Campaign (2023–2024)

After the loss, Leavitt worked for MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, and appeared in a Project 2025 training video for political appointees. In January 2024 she became national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign — a high-profile role that put her in front of cameras daily through the election.

White House Press Secretary (2025–2026)

President-elect Trump named Leavitt as his press secretary on November 15, 2024. She took office on January 20, 2025, at 27 — the youngest person ever to hold the job and the first member of Generation Z. Her first briefing, on January 28, 2025, opened by elevating non-traditional media and adding a “new media” seat that was called on first in every briefing.

Her tenure rewrote several norms. The White House announced in February 2025 that it would select which outlets participated in the presidential press pool, and the administration pursued changes to the briefing-room seating chart. She was named a defendant in Associated Press v. Budowich after the AP was barred from certain events over its refusal to adopt the “Gulf of America” terminology.

Her style was combative. In January 2026 she called a Hill reporter “biased” and a “left-wing hack” during a live briefing over a question about ICE. Former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer noted that her approach mirrored Trump’s, which he said explained her survival in a role that had consumed several predecessors.

Departure and Fox News (2026)

On August 12, 2026, Trump announced that Leavitt would leave her post at the end of the month to spend more time with her family, and said she would serve as one of his outside advisers. Katie Zacharia succeeded her. In October, Fox News announced that Leavitt would join the network as a contributor beginning November 1, 2026, and she also accepted a role with MAGA Inc.

Career Stats

• White House Press Secretary: January 20, 2025 – August 27, 2026
• Age at Appointment: 27 — youngest in U.S. history; first Generation Z press secretary
• Campaign: Republican nominee for NH-01 (2022) — won primary, lost general
• Fox News: Contributor from November 1, 2026
• Predecessor / Successor: Karine Jean-Pierre / Katie Zacharia

Personal Life

• Husband: Nicholas Riccio, a New Hampshire real estate developer 32 years her senior. They met in 2022 at a restaurant during her congressional campaign and became engaged in December 2023.
• Children: A son, Niko, born July 2024, and a daughter, Viviana “Vivi,” born May 2026.
• Historic First: Leavitt was the first sitting White House press secretary to be pregnant and give birth while in office. She announced the pregnancy in December 2025 and returned to work within a week of her son’s birth.
• Faith: A practicing Roman Catholic; she has spoken about her faith publicly and credited her education with shaping it.
• Family: Her nephew’s mother was detained by ICE in November 2025, a case that drew attention because of Leavitt’s role in defending the administration’s immigration policies.

Dating History and Affairs

Leavitt’s public romantic history is limited to her marriage. She met Nicholas Riccio in 2022 during her congressional campaign, became engaged in December 2023, and married him in January 2025, days before Trump’s second inauguration. She has spoken openly about the 32-year age gap, calling Riccio her “opposite” and an introvert.

There have been no reported affairs, separations, or relationship scandals. Her public identity is tightly bound to her family, her faith, and her political role — a combination she has cultivated deliberately.

Controversies

Leavitt’s tenure generated more controversy than any press secretary in recent memory, though almost all of it was political rather than personal.

• The Gaza condoms claim: In her first briefing she falsely said $50 million in taxpayer funds had been intended for condoms in Gaza. Fact-checkers traced it to a DOGE misreading of a grant for HIV prevention in Mozambique’s Gaza Province.
• Press pool control: The White House’s decision to select which outlets joined the presidential press pool was widely criticized by press-freedom groups and led to the AP lawsuit.
• “New media” seat: Her addition of a seat for right-leaning online outlets and her practice of calling on them first drew complaints about the marginalization of traditional outlets.
• Campaign finance: The FEC complaint and her 2025 disclosure of $326,370 in unpaid debts, including roughly $200,000 in excessive contributions, followed her from the campaign trail into the White House.
• Combative briefings: Her exchanges with reporters — including calling one a “left-wing hack” — were criticized as unprofessional by media critics and celebrated by supporters.
• Election claims: She publicly maintained that Trump won the 2020 election, while acknowledging that Biden was certified. A 2025 report that she privately believed otherwise drew a denial that she recalled the conversation.

Awards & Achievements

• Youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history (age 27)
• First member of Generation Z to serve as press secretary
• First sitting press secretary to give birth while in office
• First Republican member of Generation Z to win a congressional primary
• National press secretary for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign
• Fox News contributor (from November 2026)
• Communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik (2021)

Physical Statistics

• Height: About 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) — reported
• Weight: Not publicly disclosed
• Hair Color: Blonde
• Eye Color: Blue
• Build: Petite and athletic; a former college softball player
• On-Air Style: Tailored suits and dresses in bold colors, polished broadcast presentation

Quotes

“New voices are going to be welcomed alongside traditional media.”

Karoline Leavitt, on the White House briefing room, February 2025

Favorites

• Role Model: Kayleigh McEnany, who mentored her and whom she has described as a model
• Format: The press briefing — she has said the daily exchange is the part of the job she values most
• Sport: Softball, which she played at Central Catholic and Saint Anselm
• Home: New Hampshire, where her family’s businesses are
• Faith: Catholicism
• Food, Music, Travel: Not publicly disclosed

Earnings

Leavitt’s salary and net worth are not publicly disclosed. White House press secretary pay is set by the executive pay scale and is public in aggregate, but her individual compensation has not been published, and she has no reported outside business interests.

• White House salary during her tenure as press secretary
• Campaign salary as national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 campaign
• Fox News contributor fees from November 2026
• MAGA Inc. role following her departure

Estimates of her net worth circulating online are unverified. Given her age and career stage, they should be treated as speculation.

Interesting Facts

• She was a two-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star in softball.
• She founded Saint Anselm’s broadcasting club and wrote for its student paper.
• She interned for a U.S. senator and at WMUR while still in college.
• She was the first person in her immediate family to graduate college.
• She returned to work a week after giving birth in 2024, on the day of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
• She was named a defendant in Associated Press v. Budowich.
• She joined Fox News within three months of leaving the White House.

Did You Know Already?

• She is the 36th White House press secretary, succeeding Karine Jean-Pierre.
• She was 27 at appointment — younger than any of her 35 predecessors.
• Her first press conference was January 28, 2025.
• She called on the “new media” seat first in every briefing.
• Her daughter was born in May 2026, months before she left office.
• She now works for the same network — Fox News — that she regularly called on from the briefing room.

Social Media Links

• X (Twitter): @karolineleavitt
• Fox News: foxnews.com
• White House Archive: whitehouse.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Karoline Leavitt turned a New Hampshire softball scholarship into the most visible podium in Washington in under a decade. Whether readers see her as a skilled communicator or a polarizing figure, her tenure changed how the White House briefing room operates — and her move to Fox News ensures she remains part of the story she once narrated. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with other political news followers!