Karoline Leavitt's Awkward Body Language With Her Husband Says It All About Their Marriage
Karoline Leavitt and her much older husband, Nicholas Riccio, live a wildly lavish life. However, they've taken two very different approaches in their careers. While Leavitt is constantly in front of the cameras as President Donald Trump's press secretary, Riccio made millions with a more under-the-radar job as a real estate developer. Even so, every now and then Leavitt's position makes it impossible for her husband to avoid the spotlight completely. When the happy couple visited Mar-a-Lago for a wedding on February 1, 2026, they got plenty of media attention. As the cameras flashed photos, Leavitt and Riccio displayed markedly different body language. While the Trump staffer smiled and turned her body towards the cameras, welcoming the phot op, in contrast, Riccio looked grim and stared straight ahead, concentrating on his destination.
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The businessman's stiff posture seemed to arguably be a visual representation of Leavitt's past comments about their totally opposite personalities. "He's very introverted, unlike me," the White House press secretary explained during a November 2025 appearance on "Pod Force One." "He stays behind the scenes, he's not on social media, he's very private." Leavitt mentioned Riccio's introvert trait in other interviews too, but he's previously looked more relaxed and happy in front of the cameras, like when he joined her and their son at the White House Easter Egg Roll. This time Riccio might not have been prepared for a private affair like a wedding to be treated like a red carpet event. However, with Trump and many cabinet members attending, there was plenty of press.
Nicholas Riccio may be tired of all the age-related shade being thrown his way
Although Nicholas Riccio doesn't have his own public Instagram account, Karoline Leavitt makes up for that by posting pics of him on her own feed. Although some contend that Leavitt's age-gap marriage is no big deal, it hasn't deterred the snarky commenters. When the Trump staffer posted a holiday pic of herself and Riccio at the White House, one Instagram user snidely commented, "So cute that you brought your grandfather as your date!" When Leavitt first became the White House press secretary, people might have genuinely been confused (and Ricco's resemblance to Leavitt's dad didn't help).
A year later, though, most people have got the memo that Riccio is her husband and that he's 32 years older than Leavitt. In addition, it's also highly likely that the real estate developer knew early on in their relationship that his lady wanted a life in the spotlight, since she was campaigning to become a U.S. congresswoman back in 2022. Even so, Leavitt confirmed that Riccio has been able to roll with her choices. "I say, 'I walked into your life and it's been a circus ever since,'" Leavitt admitted on "The Megyn Kelly Show" in February 2025. "But God bless him because he's fully on board."
However, her recent pregnancy announcement has sent the age-gap jabs into overdrive. Plenty of people also poked fun at Leavitt's need to gush over President Donald Trump in her big reveal, which they felt was tasteless. With a new baby on the way, Riccio could be feeling extra protective of Leavitt too. As such, the businessman's seemingly uncomfortable body language at the Mar-a-Lago wedding could simply stem from a desire to shield himself and his wife from the continuing barrage of mockery.