Who are Karoline Leavitt’s parents? All we know about the youngest White House press secretary

The youngest-ever White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, held her first press briefing on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

Leavitt, whom Trump named as his White House press secretary in November 2024, hails from Atkinson, New Hampshire. The 27-year-old Republican government official was born in 1997 to Bob and Erin Leavitt. According to Distracify, Leavitt’s parents owned businesses like an “ice cream shop” and a “used car dealership” during her childhood.

Apart from Karoline, Bob and Erin Leavitt raised two sons, Joe and Mike. All of Leavitt's children had a Catholic influence while growing up. Being raised as a Catholic, Karoline Leavitt has continued to identify with her faith, as evident from her social media activity. Leavitt’s Instagram account features a compilation of story highlights dedicated to “Faith.”

Trump’s political aide is an alumnus of Central Catholic High School of Lawrence, Massachusetts. She later attended Saint Anselm College, graduating with a communications and political science B.A. in 2019. During her college days, Karoline was also an intern at Fox News and a known Donald Trump supporter.

Fox News wasn’t the only place she interned, as Karoline took up an internship at the Presidential Correspondence Office of the White House. After her graduation, she also took a full-time role, which ultimately paved the way for becoming the youngest White House press secretary.

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Karoline Leavitt served as an assistant White House press secretary during Trump’s first term

In 2020, during Donald Trump’s first term as the 45th President, Karoline Leavitt joined his administration as an assistant press secretary at the White House. She worked under Kayleigh McEnany, the 33rd White House press secretary. However, she left the position in January 2021 after Trump’s first term ended and moved on to other roles in her career.

A year after she departed from the White House job, Leavitt ran for House of Representatives from New Hampshire’s 1st district. She won the Republican nomination but lost to Democrat Chris Pappas in the general elections. Following her election defeat, Leavitt joined Trump’s presidential campaign in 2024 as national press secretary and chose against running in the next election.

After Donald Trump won in November 2024, Leavitt’s name was announced as the 36th White House press secretary. She officially became the youngest press secretary at the White House after Trump's second inauguration on January 20, 2025.

Besides being a well-known Republican, Karoline Leavitt is married to Nicholas "Nick" Riccio. Nick is the founder and owner of Riccio Enterprises LLC and was Leavitt’s longtime partner before their marriage. The couple also have a son named Nicholas Robert, whom they welcomed in 2024.