Karoline Leavitt Opens Up About Balancing High-Stress Job, Family Life, and Ambitions
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, 28, offered an intimate look into her hectic life and how it intersects with her marriage to 60-year-old husband Nicholas Riccio.
Leavitt admitted that she struggles with “post-traumatic stress disorder” when it comes to making plans, after several last-minute cancellations over the past year due to her high-pressure job. “Honestly, I have PTSD about making plans, so I just don’t,” she told The Daily Mail.
Her family, which includes their one-year-old child, has grown used to adapting on the fly. “We just roll with it,” Leavitt said. “But that’s part of the job, and it’s what makes it fun and challenging and keeps every day new.”
When unexpected free time arises, the family takes full advantage. “If there’s a night where I happen to become free, then we take full advantage of that as a family,” she explained. Leavitt also advised new reporters never to schedule post-work plans, calling it a “rookie move” in such a demanding role.
Over the summer, Leavitt and Riccio planned three mini weekend getaways, all of which were canceled due to foreign policy events and the president’s schedule. “But that’s part of the job, and it’s temporary. We’re one year down, three to go,” she said.
Leavitt has served 300 days as White House Press Secretary and hopes to remain in the position through the end of the president’s second term. Already, she has outlasted three of four of Trump’s previous press secretaries, including Stephanie Grisham, Kayleigh McEnany, and Sean Spicer. Her predecessor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served from July 2017 to June 2019.
Despite the long hours, Leavitt makes time for her family. “I leave at a more reasonable hour than people may think, because that’s the line I’ve drawn to get home, cook dinner, go through bedtime routine, and be a mom,” she said. Her typical workday starts around 5 a.m., including news briefings, meetings with the president, and coordinating with officials to respond to press questions.
Sanders praised Leavitt, telling The Daily Mail, “She is tough, brilliant, kind, and doing an amazing job in one of the hardest roles in all of politics. I love watching her take on the Press and I am proud to call her my friend.”
Leavitt also encourages women to pursue both personal and professional goals. “Get married, have kids, and work your butt off. There’s no substitute for hard work,” she said, emphasizing the importance of ambition and perseverance.
