Karoline Leavitt's Husband Nicholas Riccio Has His Own Ties To Donald Trump

As the husband of firebrand White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Nicholas Riccio has sparked quite a bit of conversation. The tragic details of Riccio's humble origins only make his success story all the more vibrant. Riccio made a name for himself by following the lead of President Donald Trump and harnessing his talents for real estate, leading him to become a bit of a mogul in the New Hampshire area. According to Realtor.com, Riccio owns several properties, almost all of them in the Granite State. One such asset — his Hampton Beach Property — would go on to host a Women For Trump event in 2019, sparking a series of events that would bring Riccio close to President Trump, as well as his future wife.

According to Fosters, the event was organized by locals as well as the Republican National Committee and was put on in two properties owned by Riccio. "This is a chance for us to continue empowering women," New Hampshire GOP communications director Nina McLaughlin said, continuing, "letting them see that there's other supporters for the president." 

Considering she was a speechwriter for Trump at the time, it's unclear if Leavitt ever attended these meetups, but Riccio hosting one most likely helped embed him within the good graces of Trump as well as Leavitt. Riccio's willingness to cater to Trump's fans just might have been something that attracted his future wife to him, as Leavitt has shown signs of being obsessed with Trump. However, this wouldn't be the first time Riccio has casually ingratiated himself with a U.S. president.

Considering that Nicholas Riccio has been around for several decades longer than his wife, Karoline Leavitt, it makes sense that he's had time to meet more than one president. In 2005, he was lucky enough to attend a speech given by then-President George W. Bush, marking another political connection Riccio has. Afterwards, Riccio was brave enough to approach Bush and chat about a shared interest — owning a baseball team. Bush, former owner of the Texas Rangers, inspired Riccio to one day want to own his own team, which hasn't quite happened yet. However, this might be something he and Donald Trump could have in common as well. 

Trump himself once tried to run his own sports team. During his time trying to revamp the United States Football League, the president found himself in ownership of the New Jersey Generals football team, per the BBC. Though these efforts eventually collapsed and the league shuttered relatively quickly after Trump took the reigns, it could give Trump and Riccio another connection, should Riccio ever manage to secure a sports team of his own. Though, for now, the two still have quite a bit of similarities. For example, Donald and Melania Trump have a sizable distance between ages, as do Leavitt and Riccio, though their age gap is bigger. Perhaps this will be enough for them to talk about at any future meeting.