White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt likes to think that she is part of the most transparent administration in U.S. history, but critics would argue otherwise.
The 28-year-old has developed a reputation for being dishonest in her defense of Donald Trump, and now detractors are convinced that she has been lying about aspects of her personal life too.
As a result, her photo dump from October is all the talk among social media users who noticed her memories were too perfect to be real. The New Hampshire native and her family, husband Nicholas Riccio and son Niko, were among the dozens of children at the White House on the South Lawn.
60-Year-Old Husband of Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Exposed for Trump Ties Long Before Their Relationship Began
In the photos taken at the Oct. 30 Halloween event, Leavitt, 28, and Riccio, 60, posed with their son, who was dressed as a pumpkin, at the White House and in front of a separate residence.
At first glance, people shared reactions like, “Absolutely beautiful family!! Thank you for letting us peak into your life!” and “Great family picture.”
However, the comments were derailed when eagle-eyed users claimed to have noticed oddities in the real estate developer’s appearance.
A heckler wrote, “Karoline, Awesome picture but my friends noticed something: The guy on the left seems to have only his face photoshopped. His hands look like 60+ years old. What happened?” Another noticed, “Either smoothed out his face but forgot to smooth out his hands or he’s had the world’s most amount of Botox, ever.”
The observation was among dozens expressing a similar sentiment.
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Another critic tripped, “Imagine being so embarrassed of your husband you photoshop his old wrinkles out. Hahahaha.” A third individual suggested, “Grandpa husband should learn dye his eyebrows if he’s gonna try and fool anyone that he’s not in his 60’s.”
As discourse about the supposed Photoshop blunder spread online, so did the comments about the couple’s “gross” age gap. Leavitt herself has publicly acknowledged their 32-year age difference. “I mean, it’s a very atypical love story, but he’s incredible,” she said on “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
She also gushed, “He is my greatest supporter, he’s my best friend and he’s my rock.” Leavitt was running for Congress when the pair met in 2022 at a mutual friend’s dinner gathering. They were engaged by December 2023, she welcomed their son in July 2024, and they wed in January 2025, days before Trump was inaugurated for a second term.
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Still, haters shredded her Halloween post on the Daily Mail site. One person typed that “manipulating photos for social media is just another form of LYING. If she’s so proud of her 60-year-old husband, why do it?”
A second user remarked, “Press secretary airbrushes the truth away.” And a third commenter took aim at Leavitt’s appearance when they wrote, “She is the oldest looking 28 year old I’ve seen. She looks mid 30’s.”
More critical quips about the editing gaffe empowered others to project theories about Leavitt and Riccio’s marriage being one of professional convenience. “She got knocked ip and he married her . Gold digger on line one,” presumed one naysayer.
Karoline Leavitt brought her husbsnd Nicholas Riccio to the White House.
Nick, who worked on Leavitt’s campaign finance committee, and Karoline got married January 4th, less than 3 months ago. pic.twitter.com/qTnXoGBiSk
— PatriotTakes
(@patriottakes) March 26, 2025
A second sneered, “He’s older than her father. She got the job thanks to her old man being a Trump crony.” Riccio has a history of backing Republican politicians, including Trump. The entrepreneur hosted a MAGA event to rally female voters for the twice-impeached president during his 2020 re-election campaign.
He has since made multiple appearances at the White House alongside Leavitt.
‘So Embarrassed of Your Husband’: Karoline Leavitt Accused of Editing Her 60-Year-Old Husband’s Photos Into a Younger Man