If you know anything about Karoline Leavitt, you know that she’s the youngest Press Secretary in American history. That makes her a member of Generation Z, a group that is not known for having very much disposable income. Because of that, you might assume that Leavitt herself is greatly dependent on her (relatively) modest government salary.
In reality, though, the young firebrand is worth millions and millions of dollars. Furthermore, she lives a surprisingly luxurious lifestyle behind closed doors. Just where does this young official’s money come from, and just how luxe is her life? Keep reading to discover the answers!
Karoline Leavitt is worth much more than her government salary
As the public face of Donald Trump’s administration, Karoline Leavitt is one of the most important political officials in the country. Nonetheless, she draws a modest salary for her work on behalf of the government. It is generally assumed she only makes $180,000 per year, which is the same salary as the previous Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. While this is a nice chunk of change (most reading this would kill for a healthy six-figure job), it’s relatively low for someone who is effectively serving as the mouthpiece of Trump, one of the wealthiest figures in the country.
Fortunately for Leavitt, she’s worth much more than her government salary. The Times of India estimates that she is worth a whopping $6 million dollars. Now, Leavitt didn’t grow up poor…far from it. Nonetheless, the secret to her immense wealth was getting married to someone who was previously homeless!
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She is wealthy because of her much older husband
The real source of Karoline Leavitt’s wealth is her husband, Nicholas Riccio, a man who is 32 years older than her. The early days of their courtship are relatively unknown…for example, it’s unclear exactly how long these two dated. But we know when they decided to make things official: these two got engaged on Christmas Day, 2023. He proposed, she said yes, and the two began the first steps of their own “happily ever after journey.”
And happiness certainly seems to describe how Leavitt feels. She later described this moment on Instagram as “The best Christmas of my life. I get to marry the man of my dreams.” And that’s exactly what happened when these two officially tied the knot, officially making young Leavitt a multimillionaire.
Leavitt’s husband is a true “rags to riches” story
You might not be surprised that Karoline Leavitt became rich by marrying a wealthy man. And you probably won’t be surprised to discover that he made his money through real estate. What is surprising, though, is that Nicholas Riccio did not come from money. In fact, he’s one of the few millionaires in the world with a true “rags to riches” story.
When he was a teenager, Riccio’s parents divorced, and he had a very rough upbringing. He even became temporarily homeless…according to The Sun, he once admitted that “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.” In fact, he had to work retail and borrow plenty of money just to make it through college.
However, he took a real estate course in the ‘90s that changed his life. And he learned his lessons well, becoming an expert house flipper in the early 2000s (when Karoline Leavitt was still just a toddler). Now, he’s a millionaire who owns a whopping 10 properties, though the ones he rents out pale in comparison to the one that he and his much younger wife call home.
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Living large with her husband
Generally speaking, Karoline Leavitt is not someone who enjoys flaunting her wealth. The same can be said about her husband: unlike many wealthy people (including Leavitt’s boss, Donald Trump), Nicholas Riccio likes to keep a low profile on social media. But from what he’s said in the past, it’s easy to understand just how large these two lovebirds are living.
For example, The Sun reports that Riccio owns a home with tons of sports memorabilia, including a prized possession: an autographed pair of boxing gloves worn by Muhammed Ali. He’s such a sports fan, in fact, that he is actively making plans to purchase his own sports team, an act that he insists “will happen one day in the near future.” In short, Leavitt married a millionaire who has amazing properties throughout the country and plans to own a major sports team, so it’s a safe bet she is living more luxuriously than any White House Press Secretary before her.
Giving birth to her heir (and then getting back to work)
As noted before, we know that Karoline Leavitt and Nicholas Riccio got engaged on Christmas day, 2023. We don’t know exactly when they were married, as this happened in a private ceremony (Riccio particularly loves to keep a low profile). However, we do know one of the most important dates in their relationship: the day their child was born.
On July 10th, 2024, Leavitt gave birth to their son, Nicholas Robert. This isn’t just any boy…he will be the heir of both a real estate and political legacy that is likely to define his life. Speaking of politics, Leavitt originally planned to take maternity leave to fully enjoy her time with the newborn. But thanks to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life, she returned to work on the campaign trail only three days after giving birth. This signalled her commitment to Trump’s cause and is likely one of many reasons she was chosen as his Press Secretary after his 2024 presidential victory.
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