Tragic Details About Karoline Leavitt, Trump's Press Secretary

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Karoline Leavitt debuted as White House press secretary in January 2025, making history as the youngest person to serve. And, although Leavitt's often aged herself by wearing decidedly frumpy outfits, there's no escaping she's only 27. That said, her boss often forgets it. In April 2025, Donald Trump almost slipped up while discussing Leavitt's age as he explained why he hired somebody so young, insisting age is just a number (one he struggled to recollect). "How old are you? 27, right?" Trump asked Leavitt during a Women's History event. "27!" He eventually declared, praising her for "knocking 'em dead."

However, as many of her older and more seasoned predecessors learned — the hard way — defending Trump and regularly presenting alternative facts can result in turmoil and tragedy rather than gratification and satisfaction. It's far from an easy ride, in addition to often being a short one. Anthony Scaramucci lasted six days as director of communications, and despite Sarah Huckabee Sanders announcing she'd quit on Trump after two years, her tenure purportedly ended way earlier. According to reports, she was among the many people Trump fired — months before her supposed official "resignation."

Given that Leavitt's husband, Nicholas Riccio, is über wealthy, she certainly doesn't need a salary, so you've got to wonder if the intense pressure, demands, and trolling are worth it. There's no escaping that her work is tough and negatively affects her personal life, too. We're looking at some tragic details about Leavitt's job as Trump's White House press secretary.

Karoline Leavitt struggles with the same issue as many other working moms. Because as James Brown sang, "It's a man's man's man's world," and the majority of primary care still often falls on the mom's shoulders rather than the dad's. So, having it all — a career and a baby — can be a challenging task for some women, leading to guilt and remorse at missing many of their child's milestones. Yes, it's important to note that it's not a problem for all women — which doesn't make them "worse" moms — and, at the same time, it can also equally be an issue for dads.

Still, either way, Leavitt is clearly a devoted mom who appears to prioritize home life over work, despite the demands and long hours that accompany her high-flying career. That's apparent from her personal Instagram bio: "Wife. Mother. White House Press Secretary," it reads.

Leavitt's account is packed with pics of her adorable son, Nicholas "Niko" Robert, and a special tribute to him is pinned at the top of her page. "The moment our son was born. The moment I officially became a mom. The best moment of my life," she captioned a photo of the newborn in July 2024. "It's true when they say there's nothing comparable to the love you feel for your child. My heart has grown bigger than I ever imagined possible. Babies are the ultimate blessing and I'm bursting with gratitude for our beautiful, happy, healthy boy."

Working for or with Donald Trump can be as harsh as his rhetoric and political agenda. That much is evident by the revolving door of employees during his first presidency, not to mention the scorched-earth tell-alls by former White House staffers, such as Omarosa Manigault Newman's "Unhinged." Conversely, Elon Musk is all Depeche Mode about The Donald and "just can't get enough" of their work bromance.

However, laboring for Musk can be equally challenging. The multi-billionaire boasts of working 120 hours a week and demands employees put in the time, too, or face dire consequences. Like the staggering number of X employees Musk fired when they balked at the 80-hour work weeks he mandated after buying the platform. Meanwhile, Trump works so hard that he never has time to hit the sack apparently. "He had not slept for a day and a half, two days and a half ... the man never sleeps," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney claimed in February 2020.

So, you can only imagine the pain of working for both of them simultaneously. Trump and Musk provide Karolyn Leavitt with a seemingly never-ending tsunami of controversies, headaches, and nightmares to spin in an attempt to explain, justify, and defend their often problematic actions to the media. "Late nights early mornings are the norm," Leavitt explained in a video depicting 72 hours of working with Trump, which included just a "few hours" of sleep and a delicious, nutritious McDonald's dinner.

Working as the White House press secretary comes with intense levels of pressure. Thinking on your feet and ad-libbing while responding to an avalanche of questions fired at you by the often hostile press, and explaining and defending what's sometimes unexplainable and undefendable isn't for the faint of heart.

Somehow, though, Karoline Leavitt appears to cope with the extreme demands and many difficulties of the job. The 27-year-old maintains an unflinching commitment to standing by the main man at all times, never backing down from defending Donald Trump, displaying a tenacious and ferocious dedication to championing and promoting his rhetoric and actions, no matter how questionable, incorrect, controversial, or unpopular they may be. Then, there's the added pressure of dealing with Elon Musk. Still, Leavitt also takes that in her stride, nonchalantly parroting his blatantly baseless and false claims, such as his agency DOGE discovering the previous administration allocated $50 million for condoms to be sent to the Gaza Strip. [FACT CHECK: They were actually designated for Gaza in Mozambique as part of a U.S. HIV prevention program].

Leavitt spilled on "how a young, passionate leader deals with setbacks, criticism, and immense pressure to succeed" in her biography, "Political Ambitions and Leadership in the Making." She credited her "quick thinking, strong communication skills, and an understanding of the broader political environment" for her grasp of the White House's inner workings and ability to deal with stress and challenges thrown her way.

Being White House press secretary never wins you any press popularity contests. However, Karoline Leavitt's made it clear her only concern is ensuring nobody prints any negative coverage of Donald Trump. "There's never been a president who communicates with the American people and the American press corps as openly or authentically as the 45th and now 47th President of the United States," she insisted during her first briefing, explaining she will be welcoming (Trump-friendly) Tiktokers, influencers and conservative "news-related content" creators into the White House — so the "legacy media" better watch its step. "We will call you out when we feel that your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation," she vowed.

Not surprisingly, tensions escalated, and it wasn't helped by the White House banning the Associated Press for ignoring Trump's decree that "The Gulf of Mexico" was now "The Gulf of America." (A judge has since ruled the ban is unconstitutional and ordered the organization's credentials be reinstated, to no avail).

Leavitt already had a contentious relationship with the AP, following a fiery showdown with reporter Josh Boak in March 2025 after he questioned if Trump's tariff threats contradicted his previous promises of tax cuts. Things reached boiling point when Leavitt claimed tariffs are "actually a tax cut for the American people," and Boak explained why they're not (as echoed by the world's leading experts). "It's insulting you're attempting to test my knowledge of economics," Leavitt charged, concluding, "Now regret giving a question to the Associated Press."

Given Karoline Leavitt's confrontational and contentious relationship with the mainstream media and penchant for echoing Donald Trump's sometimes problematic and divisive rhetoric, it's perhaps zero surprise that she has a legion of trolls and online haters regularly attacking her. "I think Karoline Leavitt is one of my most hated people from this administration," an X user commented in April 2025. "Really? Most people like arrogant 27-year old know-nothings who only got their job because their husband is a donor and Project 2025 demon," another sniped. "A complete dullard with no shame," a third decreed.

Still, Leavitt, of course, has more than her fair share of admirers and appreciators. "Karoline is the next generation of Trumpian democratization of information," previous White House mouthpiece Kellyanne Conway, who invented the term "alternative facts," told The Washington Post in March 2025. "I told the president the other night: 'I'm a bit jealous, sir,'" another predecessor, Sean Spicer, admitted.

And, of course, she's become a Fox News darling. Jesse Watters appears especially enamored of the Trump devotee. "Karoline Leavitt, for the first time, was behind the podium, and there was not a binder in sight," Water gushed after Leavitt's press debut in January 2025. "The press secretary said, 'my binder is in my head,' and right away she set a new tone," he continued, praising her for having "a baby, not a binder" and being able to "speak English."