There are plenty of reasons why people who oppose Donald Trump are not fans of Karoline Leavitt. But one thing that her haters refuse to let go, regardless of how petty it might seem, is the age gap between Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio. They share an age difference of more than 30 years, and no one plans to forget that fact. Ever.
When Leavitt shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter) showing a trip that she and Riccio, and their two kids, took to see the Washington Monument, users took the opportunity to troll her about her husband’s age. Some joked about Leavitt needing to physically assist her husband. Others piled on, and left tons of comments about Riccio and his advanced age compared to hers.
Karoline Leavitt is never beating the “old husband” jokes.
We took a family trip to the Lincoln Monument tonight to check out the new reflecting pool.
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) June 6, 2026
Absolutely stunning. DC is so beautiful again, just in time for our Nation’s 250th.
Thank you, President Trump!! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/57A6s0bj3P
Leavitt posted the first photo of her family of four on X and, instead of being met with gushes of “how cute” in regards to her kids, she got some serious backlash. Partly because she wrote that she visited the “Lincoln Monument,” which some people took to mean the Washington Monument or Lincoln Memorial, and partly because of, well, who she is.
“We took a family trip to the Lincoln Monument tonight to check out the new reflecting pool,” Leavitt wrote in her X post. “Absolutely stunning. DC is so beautiful again, just in time for our Nation’s 250th. Thank you, President Trump!!” She also added an American flag for good measure, just in case you didn’t think she’s patriotic enough.
But Leavitt made the crucial mistake of including her husband, who is 32 years older than her, in the family photo.
“So nice of you to take your father with you,” one user on X commented.
“How nice,” another person added. “Did you hide the motorized cart you used to get Grandpa to the top?”
To the same tune, a user also commented, “Did you help your grandpa up the steps?”
Maybe those are the easy digs, but for those who already can’t stand Leavitt, sometimes the easiest insults and ways to get to her are the go-to options.
Case in point: someone also wrote, “Is that a stroller or is it your husband’s walker?”
Her parents are closer in age to her husband than she is.
Leavitt’s mother is 55 in 2026 and her dad is 66. Her husband, by comparison, is 60. So yes, he is far closer in age to Leavitt’s parents than he is to her. In fact, he’s older than her mother by a few years. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t accepted by Leavitt’s family, but it does make for interesting optics as far as Leavitt’s critics are concerned.
And for Leavitt, it means she will probably always be dealing with jokes about her husband’s age. That is, until he is no longer around because of, well, his very advanced age.
Some people think she isn’t coming back to the White House.
Regardless of what some people think of Leavitt, others are sure they won’t have to even think of her for much longer. When she left the White House in April 2026 to go on maternity leave, there was speculation she might just not return to her role as press secretary. Users on Reddit speculated that she might make the move to Fox News, which does make sense, given her political leanings. And, in the same thread, people couldn’t resist bringing up her geriatric husband.
“Gonna need to have more time to take care of her new baby…,” one Redditor commented. “And her elderly husband…”
Another person wrote, “She should just retire, she’s got two sets of diapers to deal with.”
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