Karoline Leavitt's Husband Nicholas Riccio Has His Own Strange Connection To Politics

Karoline Leavitt's decades-older husband, Nicholas Riccio, remains quite the enigma and rarely makes an appearance on the White House press secretary's Instagram feed. One of the most interesting tidbits about the real estate mogul, however, is his own strange connection to politics.

Long before Riccio and Leavitt became acquainted, the millionaire met former president George W. Bush at Pease International Tradeport. The year was 2005, and Riccio was eager to pick Bush's brain about the logistics of owning a baseball team, something the president knew plenty about as he used to own the Texas Rangers. Bush was delivering a speech, and Riccio approached him afterward. The two's conversation lasted under five minutes, but Riccio left inspired. While he never ventured into politics himself, Riccio would later meet his future wife, Leavitt, at a political event.

Leavitt, seemingly the polar opposite of her husband, made a beeline for the White House as soon as she finished college. She was an assistant press secretary during Donald Trump's first term, and after he left the White House, Leavitt tried to join the big leagues when she made a bid for Congress in 2022. She even paid Trump a visit ahead of the primary elections — not necessarily to get his endorsement, but to ensure he wouldn't bestow the favor on her opponent. Trump did eventually endorse her, and she won the primary elections. Her Democratic opponent beat her in the general election, however. But it wasn't all for nothing — one of Leavitt's campaign events was held at a restaurant owned by Riccio, the two became acquainted, and the rest is history.

Karoline Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, live a wildly lavish life, but the real estate tycoon didn't grow up rich. In fact, his early life is more similar to that of Vice President JD Vance's tragic, real-life story. Riccio's parents divorced when he was just a kid; he never lived in one place for very long, and his family struggled to make ends meet.

Things didn't get better after high school. Riccio was homeless for a while, and his car served as his living quarters when he started attending college. "When I was 19 or 20, I would call my buddies to go over to their houses to watch a game just so I could take a shower," he told Seacostonline. These hardships are what made him a daredevil, however, and are the reason he built a successful real estate empire. His rags-to-riches story would surely have tugged at people's hearts had he decided to venture into politics. Instead, his wife is the one stirring the pot in Washington.

Leavitt's upbringing was vastly different from Riccio's. Her parents owned two businesses — a truck dealership and an ice cream shop. She spoke about working at both during her congressional campaign, touting the experience she gained. Her parents are also still married, unlike Riccio's. Leavitt might be the one climbing the political ladder, but her husband would arguably have made for a more compelling candidate, given his life's story.