Karoline Leavitt's Age-Gap Marriage Sparks Online Frenzy

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been mocked online over a recent public appearance with her 60-year-old husband Nicholas Riccio. Notably, most jokes were made at the expense of their 32-year age gap. Leavitt, 28, attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner with her real estate developer husband Riccio in Washington on Friday, July 24. After the previously postponed event, Leavitt shared pictures from the night to her three million Instagram followers. The set of three snaps included a close-up of herself wearing a blue lace jumpsuit and holding her hand to her heart, one of her sitting at a table next to the President, and the last, a picture of her with her sexagenarian husband in the Oval Office . Critics called out Karoline for marrying someone her father's age While many fans complimented the pictures and her bold makeup, critics also called out the young government official’s age-gap marriage in the comments, claiming that the picture she posted looks almost like a father-daughter day out. One person mocked her by writing: "You look so pretty in that last picture with your dad!!" Another took it even further and added: "Awww bring grandpa to work day!!!! love it!!!" During the evening , Trump paid tribute to Leavitt and her husband while also congratulating them on the second child they welcomed in May. The 80-year-old President said in his speech: "Congratulations are also in order for our favorite White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt , who just had her second child. "You and your husband, he’s great, she’s done a fantastic job, we all love her." Leavitt welcomed her second child in May. Credit: Karoline Leavitt / Instagram. Trump insulted his right-hand woman at the dinner However, the elderly man (Trump, not her husband), also mocked and belittled her moments later by adding: "She’s done a fantastic job, she’s another one. She can be nasty!" While the audience of journalists broke out in laughter, Trump doubled back on himself by saying: "But Karoline may have one of the hardest jobs in the White House. She has to deal with all of you, all of the time, and you can be very difficult. You can be very, very difficult people." In a previous interview about her widely spoken-about but seldom seen husband, Leavitt addressed why Riccio skipped her first baby shower in 2024, defending her husband’s tendency to keep a low profile online. She told journalist Megyn Kelly: "He's not on social media. He's very private, and he's an extremely hands-on father. He and my son are the best of friends. “He's my greatest supporter, he's my best friend, and he's my rock. He's my number one fan, the best dad, and just the best man I've ever met." Featured image credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty