Karoline Leavitt is an American political aide, communications strategist and government official who has an estimated net worth of $3 million. She became widely known after serving as the White House press secretary under President Donald Trump, a position she held from January 2025 until August 2026.
At the age of 27, Leavitt became the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary. She earned a reported annual salary of $195,200 while holding the position.
Leavitt’s finances have changed significantly since her early years in politics. Her congressional financial disclosures in 2021 and 2022 showed few personal assets and no significant investments or real estate holdings. Her financial position later expanded through her political career, business interests and marriage to New Hampshire real estate investor Nicholas Riccio.
Riccio has built his wealth through real estate and hospitality properties in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. His property interests include vacation rentals, apartments and motel assets. The couple’s combined household finances are therefore considerably larger than Leavitt’s earlier personal financial disclosures suggested.
- Karoline Leavitt Net Worth: $3 Million
- Date of Birth: August 24, 1997
- Place of Birth: Atkinson, New Hampshire
- Nationality: American
- Career: communications strategist
Financial Disclosures
Leavitt’s financial position was considerably smaller during her unsuccessful 2022 congressional campaign.
Her earlier House candidate disclosures did not show significant investments, real estate holdings, bank accounts or other major assets. She also reported no significant personal liabilities or debts.
Her reported earned income for 2021 was approximately $70,000, while her previous year’s salary was about $48,800. At that stage, her disclosed personal net worth was effectively close to zero apart from cash savings and other ordinary financial holdings.
That picture changed after Leavitt joined the White House.
In her 2025 Office of Government Ethics financial disclosure, she reported ownership of KCL, LLC and disclosed substantial cash holdings across several U.S. bank accounts. Based on the reported value ranges, the accounts had a combined value of approximately $1.2 million to $2.55 million.
Leavitt also disclosed a brokerage account containing shares in companies including Tesla, Nvidia, Boeing, Exxon Mobil, AMD, Occidental Petroleum, Robinhood, RTX, Serve Robotics, Trump Media & Technology Group and U.S. Steel. The disclosed value of those stock holdings was approximately $60,000 to $250,000.
The disclosure also showed the financial impact of her marriage to Nicholas Riccio.
Nicholas Riccio’s Real Estate Wealth
Karoline Leavitt’s husband, Nicholas Riccio, is a New Hampshire real estate investor who has built his fortune through properties around Hampton Beach.
His business interests include Riccio Enterprises, Nautical Beach Properties, Nautical Beach Resort and Nautical Motel. His property portfolio includes vacation rental homes, apartments and commercial lodging facilities.
Some of his properties are located along M Street and Ashworth Avenue in Hampton Beach.
Several of the properties have appreciated substantially since Riccio acquired them. For example, a property at 16 M Street was reportedly purchased for about $80,000 in 1996 and later had an assessed value of roughly $850,000.
Another property at 17 M Street was assessed at more than $1 million.
The three main M Street houses alone appear to have a combined value of roughly $2.7 million to $3 million. The Nautical Motel and other apartments and rental properties add considerably to the overall portfolio.
Riccio’s visible Hampton Beach property holdings have been estimated to have a gross value of between $9 million and $12 million. However, the family’s exact net worth cannot be established from property values alone because the 2025 financial disclosure showed at least $3 million in investment-property mortgages.
The couple’s household wealth is therefore substantially influenced by Riccio’s real estate holdings, although Leavitt’s personal estimated net worth remains around $3 million.
White House Salary
Leavitt earned a reported $195,200 annual salary as White House press secretary.
The position represented a major increase in income compared with her early political career, when she worked as a young White House aide and congressional communications professional.
Her 2025 financial disclosure also showed business income from KCL, LLC and compensation from the Republican National Committee.
In August 2026, Leavitt announced that she would leave the White House press secretary position at the end of the month. Her departure followed the birth of her second child and a period of maternity leave.
Donald Trump said Leavitt would remain one of his top outside advisers and continue to play a role in Republican politics. The compensation arrangement for her future advisory role was not immediately disclosed.
Early Life
Karoline Leavitt was born on August 24, 1997, in Atkinson, New Hampshire.
Her family owned an ice cream shop and a used truck dealership in nearby Plaistow. She attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, graduating in 2015.
Leavitt later attended Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire on an NCAA Division II softball scholarship.
While at college, she became an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump. She wrote opinion pieces for the college newspaper and criticized mainstream media coverage of the Trump administration.
She also founded the college’s first broadcasting club, worked at WMUR-TV and interned at Fox News.
Leavitt graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and politics.
Early Political Career
After graduating from college, Leavitt joined Donald Trump’s first administration.
She initially worked in the Office of Presidential Correspondence before becoming an assistant press secretary under White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
After Trump left office in January 2021, Leavitt became communications director for Republican Representative Elise Stefanik.
The position helped establish her as one of the rising communications figures within the Republican Party.
Leavitt became known for her aggressive defense of Trump, frequent television appearances and social media-driven political messaging.
2022 Congressional Campaign
In 2022, Leavitt ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
Her campaign emphasized her experience in the Trump administration and her support for the former president.
She received endorsements and support from prominent Republicans, including Ted Cruz, Lauren Boebert, Jim Jordan and Elise Stefanik.
Leavitt won the Republican primary in an upset but lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas.
Although she did not win the congressional seat, the campaign increased her profile within conservative political circles.
Campaign Finance Issues
Leavitt’s 2022 campaign later faced scrutiny over campaign contributions and unpaid debts.
End Citizens United filed a Federal Election Commission complaint alleging that her campaign accepted contributions above federal limits and failed to properly refund some excess donations.
In 2025, amended campaign filings showed more than $326,000 in unpaid campaign debt.
The debts were associated with the campaign committee rather than Leavitt personally. Her earlier personal financial disclosures did not show comparable personal liabilities.
Trump 2024 Campaign
Following her congressional campaign, Leavitt remained active in Republican politics and conservative media.
She eventually joined Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign as national press secretary.
As one of Trump’s most visible campaign spokespersons, she frequently appeared on television and defended the Republican candidate’s policies and positions.
Her role during the presidential campaign helped position her for a senior communications position in the second Trump administration.
White House Press Secretary
In November 2024, Donald Trump announced that Leavitt would serve as his White House press secretary.
She formally assumed the position on January 20, 2025, becoming the 36th White House press secretary and the youngest person ever to hold the job.
Leavitt held her first White House briefing on January 28, 2025.
During her tenure, she became one of the administration’s most recognizable public officials. She regularly defended Trump’s policies and administration officials from the White House briefing room while also appearing frequently on television.
Leavitt also promoted greater access for nontraditional media outlets, including bloggers, podcasters and digital media personalities.
Her tenure was sometimes marked by disputes with mainstream media organizations.
In 2025, the White House became involved in a legal dispute with the Associated Press over the administration’s preferred terminology for the Gulf of Mexico. Leavitt was named as one of the defendants in her official capacity.
In August 2026, Leavitt announced that she would leave the press secretary position at the end of the month.
She had returned from maternity leave after giving birth to her second child in May. Leavitt said she wanted to spend more time with her young family while continuing to support Trump outside the administration.
Trump said she would remain one of his top outside advisers and continue to be active in Republican politics.
Personal Life
Karoline Leavitt became engaged to real estate investor Nicholas Riccio in December 2023.
The couple married in January 2025 at Wentworth By the Sea Country Club in Rye, New Hampshire, shortly before Trump’s second inauguration.
Riccio is 32 years older than Leavitt and has accumulated much of his wealth through real estate investments in Hampton Beach.
The couple has two children.
Their son, Nicholas Robert Riccio, was born in 2024. Their second child, a daughter, was born in May 2026.
Leavitt’s decision to leave the White House press secretary position came shortly after her return from maternity leave.
Her departure marked the end of a roughly 19-month tenure as the nation’s top White House spokesperson, although she is expected to remain involved in Trump’s political operation as an outside adviser.
Author: Andrew Walyaula
Andrew Walyaula is a seasoned multimedia journalist. Email: [email protected]
