logo
Who is Karoline Leavitt, the White House's youngest press secretary?

Who is Karoline Leavitt, the White House's youngest press secretary?

USA Today30-01-2025

Karoline Leavitt made her debut at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, making her mark as the youngest White House press secretary to take the lectern.
Leavitt assured members of the media that President Donald Trump was "hard at work" fulfilling his campaign promises, vowed to hold briefings "frequently" that would physically open the door to an expanse of media outlets, including podcasters and social media influencers.
She answered questions about the administration's crackdown on immigration and the mysterious drones that hovered over New Jersey.
In November, Leavitt was tapped by President Trump to serve as his second-term press secretary in a highly visible job that was previously occupied by women including Fox News co-host Kayleigh McEnany and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Here's what know about the White House's youngest press secretary.
Who is Karoline Leavitt?
Karoline Leavitt is a 27-year-old from Atkinson, New Hampshire, and attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, according to Seacoastonline. She graduated in 2019 from Saint Anselm College with a bachelors in politics and communication.
Leavitt interned at the White House during Trump's first administration and worked as a presidential writer and assistant press secretary to Kayleigh McEnany.
Leavitt knocks Ronald Ziegler off the list as the youngest press secretary to ever serve under a U.S. president. Ziegler was 29 when he took the position under Richard Nixon's administration, according to Britannica.
Karoline Leavitt's husband; what we know about Nicholas Riccio
Karoline Leavitt's husband, Nicholas Riccio, who she often calls Nick in media reports, is a self-employed business owner. The duo got engaged on Christmas Day 2023, she posted on Instagram.
Riccio manages a multimillion-dollar real estate business, Riccio Enterprises LLC, according to Newsweek.
Karoline Leavitt family
Karoline Leavitt shares a son, Nicholas Robert, who she calls "Niko," with her husband, Nicholas Riccio. He was born on July 10, 2024, she posted on Instagram.
The new mom was spotted at a May 11, 2024 Trump rally in Wildwood, New Jersey when she was 29 weeks pregnant, and told The Conservateur magazine in October 2024 she quickly learned to be a "master at multitasking" when she became a new mom. She told the magazine she returned to work four days after giving birth.
Salary of White House press secretary
It is not immediately known how much Karoline Leavitt will be earning as White House press secretary. Karine Jean-Pierre, who took over for former press secretary Jen Psaki in May 2022, was earning $180,000 a year, according to a report by Business Insider. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was earning a salary of $183,000 a year, the outlet reported.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US Rep. McIver indicted on federal 'charges from skirmish at New Jersey immigration center
US Rep. McIver indicted on federal 'charges from skirmish at New Jersey immigration center

Associated Press

time5 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

US Rep. McIver indicted on federal 'charges from skirmish at New Jersey immigration center

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center while Newark's mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X. 'While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,' Habba said. McIver, a Democrat, had been charged in a complaint by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark's Delaney Hall — a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center. McIver disputed the allegations as baseless and defended her presence at the facility as part of her authorized role as a member of Congress.

Dem governor hopefuls vow to resist Trump as California chaos becomes NJ campaign issue
Dem governor hopefuls vow to resist Trump as California chaos becomes NJ campaign issue

Yahoo

time9 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Dem governor hopefuls vow to resist Trump as California chaos becomes NJ campaign issue

The chaos unfolding in California seeped onto the New Jersey campaign trail Tuesday as Democratic gubernatorial candidates pitched their plan to resist President Donald Trump. Tuesday is primary Election Day in the Garden State, and the race to replace Gov. Phil Murphy is on. Murphy, who is term-limited this year, is one of several Democratic governors leading blue-state resistance to Trump's second term and his flurry of executive actions. Two candidates vying for an opportunity to fill Murphy's shoes – Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, both U.S. representatives from New Jersey – defended California Gov. Gavin Newsom's response to the protests and riots impeding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles. When asked how she would handle the ongoing situation in Los Angeles differently from Newsom, Sherrill touted her military and law enforcement background and told Fox News Digital she would stand up "strongly in favor of keeping people here in the state safe," return safety to the streets and continue "speaking out against a president who is trying to create violence in the country." Democratic Strategist Warns His Party That La Riots Are Playing Into Trump's Hands Sherrill is a U.S. Navy veteran and served in the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey as an outreach and re-entry coordinator, which she described as prosecuting federal cases and advising law enforcement on investigations. Read On The Fox News App Trump Takes Action Against 'Orchestrated Attack' On Law Enforcement By Deploying Marines To La: Assemblyman Trump said this weekend it would be a "great thing" if Newsom was arrested. After casting her ballot in Montclair on Tuesday morning, Sherrill called Trump's comments "ridiculous." "It should concern everyone," Sherrill said. The Trump administration has ordered National Guardsmen and Marines to Los Angeles following days of escalating anti-ICE protests and riots. "Governor Newsom surged law enforcement in, and what Trump seems to be doing is trying to add fuel to the fire and really make the situation violent and bad," Sherrill told reporters. "That's completely unacceptable." Also in the Garden State on Tuesday afternoon, Gottheimer said it was "outrageous" for Trump to send the National Guard to California without Newsom's request. "The fact that the president, for the first time since 1965, sent troops in from the National Guard without a request from the governor is outrageous. It's just more chaos that we're used to having in this administration. It's not how I would approach this," Gottheimer told Fox News Digital after voting in Tenafly. The last time a sitting U.S. president used his federal authority to deploy the National Guard without the governor's request was during the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Gottheimer said his primary focus is on protecting New Jersey families, and that priority would guide his leadership through any situation if elected governor. Both candidates on Tuesday said they were best positioned to take on Trump. While Sherrill said she is the candidate willing to resist the status quo, Gottheimer pitched himself as the "tenacious" leader to actually beat the Republican nominee this fall. In addition to Sherrill and Gottheimer, Democratic gubernatorial candidates for New Jersey include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Senate President Steve Sweeney. Baraka was arrested for trespassing at an ICE facility in Newark this year, another example of Trump's immigration policies taking center stage in the New Jersey governor's race. Last week, Baraka filed a lawsuit against Alina Habba, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agent Ricky Patel "for false arrest, malicious prosecution, and defamation." And Spiller said on X the situation in LA is "not normal" and vowed to stand up for New Jersey against Trump and his "tactics that are real threats" if elected governor. "From ICE tearing apart families to the President sending out the National Guard - over the objection of the Governor - and now apparently contemplating deploying Marines on our people - we have to stand up in solidarity and defend our democracy," Spiller said. Fox News' Kirill Clark contributed to this report. Original article source: Dem governor hopefuls vow to resist Trump as California chaos becomes NJ campaign issue

China chows on US fast food at London trade talks
China chows on US fast food at London trade talks

New York Post

time10 minutes ago

  • New York Post

China chows on US fast food at London trade talks

China's trade negotiators surrendered at the end of the second day of US trade talks in London — by feasting on American fast food, The Post has learned. The famished Chinese delegation ordered a delivery of McDonald's, Burger King and KFC after the day-long negotiations at just after 7:30 p.m. local time, sources said. Team Trump — featuring Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — also turned to a fast-food option. However, they dined on takeout from Pizza Express, a British chain specializing in handmade pizzas, the sources told The Post. 4 Chinese officials were left humiliated at the end of trade talks against Trump's team by ordering takeout made up entirely of US fast food. The president, seen above during the campaign last year, is a known aficionado of McDonald's meals. Getty Images One insider branded Beijing's gastronomic choices as 'a total cultural victory' for the United States, even though there was no deal announced on ending the tariff trade spat in sight. 4 The Trump administration team dined out on handmade pizzas from the British restaurant chain Pizza Express, sources said. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images A spokesman for China's embassy to the UK did not respond to The Post's request for comment. The US and China meting at Lancaster House to try and build on negotiations in Geneva last month that agreed to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating global trade war. Lancaster House, an 18th-century mansion a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace, is close to the upmarket neighborhood of Mayfair that is home to some of the British capital's best restaurants. The move by Chinese officials, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, may be seen as a blow to the host country, which has repeatedly seen its culinary capabilities derided by snooty foreigners throughout history. Insiders refused to be drawn in on whether the meals of choice for Beijing's top brass could raise the chances of success for a possible agreement with Washington. 4 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who called the talks 'productive', has left London to appear in Congress on Wednesday. REUTERS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is on the way back to DC and will debrief Congress on Wednesday, called the meeting 'productive.' On Monday, President Trump told reporters: 'We are doing well with China. China's not easy.' The commander-in-chief is known to be a fast food aficionado and even served diners at a McDonald's drive-thru during a campaign stop in the swing state of Pennsylvania in October. 4 Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and his team snubbed some of London's finest restaurants on Tuesday. REUTERS His preferred order at the Chicago-based fast food chain is two Big Macs, two Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, and a chocolate milkshake, according to a 2017 book written by two former campaign staffers. The 'Let Trump Be Trump: The Inside Story of His Rise to the Presidency' tome was penned by Corey Lewandowski and David Bossi. On the table for trade talks, aside from the fast food, are the levies slapped on semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, visas for Chinese students at American universities, and rare earth minerals that are vital to carmakers and other industries. The negotiations were sparked by the threat of Trump's so-called Liberation Day reciprocal tariffs, which he threatened to slap on countries that he believed had been treating the US unfairly.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store