Karoline Leavitt Slaps On Sultry Smokey Eye At Latest Briefing (Is She Done-Up For Donald?)

Under the guise of doing her job, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has once again shifted her appearance to better suit her boss — President Donald Trump. Leavitt was deflecting questions about possible criticism from Pope Leo XIV towards Trump and JD Vance, but what almost got missed in the exchange is just how smokey of an eye she wore for the event. Lately, it seems that Leavitt is accidentally revealing just how obsessed with Trump she is, and this new aesthetic might just be hinting at an attempt to catch his attention.

Leavitt punts on a question about if Trump has any reaction to the new pope's criticisms of him pic.twitter.com/Cnl8NLDSjj

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2025

Normally dressed like an out-of-touch school teacher, Leavitt has seemed to be settling for fashion that often does her dirty. So seeing her with different, more bold eye shadow feels like an indication that something is shifting for the petite press secretary. While it is within her job description to cater to the whims of the president and communicate his messaging, Leavitt might be taking her job just a bit too seriously — to the detriment of her home life. Considering that Leavitt hasn't posted about her husband, the much older Nicholas Riccio, lately, it might be that her job is taking over. Or, perhaps, her job is a simple excuse for possible trouble brewing in paradise.

When it was revealed that Karoline Leavitt and husband Nicholas Riccio had a larger age gap than Donald Trump and Melania Trump, many simply couldn't let it go. Considering that Riccio is much closer in age to Leavitt's parents than to his wife, it certainly is a glaring piece of information into the strange dynamic on display. This could indicate that Leavitt, obviously, has no qualms with being interested in older men, which just might mean she enjoys receiving attention from Donald. While she is fulfilling her press secretary duties, Leavitt appears to be embracing spending more time with Donald and less time with her husband.

Of course, this could explain why Leavitt felt the need to share about her fancy date night with Riccio. Even if she won't post a photo of him on Valentine's Day, Riccio is still her husband and father of their son. However, there could be other motives as to why Leavitt ramped up the vampy eye makeup for her latest press briefing. She could have accidentally triggered one of Donald's biggest insecurities. The notably short Leavitt was photographed walking alongside the president and the two almost appeared to be the same height. Donald, who is cagey and insistent on being 6' 3" might not have appreciated appearing to be a foot shorter. Perhaps the new glam on Leavitt is simply a mea culpa.