Karoline Leavitt has opened up about the toll her White House role took on her family life and addressed her marriage to a man 32 years her senior.
The former press secretary, 29, took to Instagram on Wednesday to field questions from followers, offering unvarnished answers about motherhood, her May birth of daughter Viviana, and her relationship with Nicholas Riccio, 61. She left the administration at the end of August after just two months back on the job following maternity leave.
Leavitt’s departure came after she found herself stretched between one of Washington’s most grueling posts and her two young children, including two-year-old son Niko. She did not hold back about the conflict she felt.
“Being a mother and welcoming a new baby while working in one of the most demanding jobs in the world has been the most rewarding yet challenging season of my life, to say the least,” she wrote.
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” she added.
The New Hampshire native has since relocated home with her children and Riccio, a multimillion-dollar real estate developer she met in 2022 during her congressional campaign. The couple wed in January 2025, days before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
When one follower asked what advice she would offer girls in age-gap relationships, Leavitt fired back with characteristic directness.
“forget the haters and follow your heart!,” she wrote.
“Marrying this man was the best decision I ever made,” she continued, posting a photo of the pair.
Leavitt has already lined up her next chapter. She is set to debut as an on-air contributor for Fox News on November 1, and told followers she “will continue making appearances on various shows!”
“I have a couple of other projects I am working on,” she teased. “But mainly, I am staying home and doing a whole lot of this!”
Her successor, Kate Zacharia, a conservative commentator and former Truth Social employee, held her first press briefing on Tuesday. Zacharia, a mother of four, credited Leavitt with helping her prepare for the juggling act ahead.
“Karoline has been an incredible support. She gave me great and wonderful feedback on how to balance,” Zacharia told reporters.
Leavitt had publicly backed Zacharia’s selection, telling followers the new press secretary had her “full support.”
“As I told the President, Katie has my full support and I will be cheering for her and the entire team at the White House every day,” she said.
Leavitt’s rapid rise and exit marked a whirlwind tenure. She became the youngest person ever to hold the press secretary post when Trump tapped her for his second term, having previously served as his campaign press secretary. She gave birth to Viviana in May, returned to the podium in June, and stepped down two months later — one of the briefest stints in the position’s modern history.