By Trendsetter Tribune 
Karoline Leavitt’s marriage to Nicholas Riccio continues to spark ridicule online, with critics zeroing in on the more-than-30-year age gap between them as she remains a staunch defender of Donald Trump. The couple, who already share one child and are expecting a second, routinely face comments from people who say they look less like spouses and more like a granddaughter walking in with her grandfather whenever they appear together in public.
On X (formerly Twitter), one user posted a photo of the pair arriving at a wedding at Mar-a-Lago in late January 2026 and captioned it, “White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt with her grandfather at Mar-a-Lago this past weekend,” prompting another reply that joked, “Stop spreading misinformation! That’s her dad, not her grandfather.” Others pointed out that Riccio is actually older than Leavitt’s mother and only a few years younger than her father, feeding more jokes and edited images.
In the same thread, someone altered the picture to place Riccio in a motorized wheelchair, suggesting that such an accessory better fit his age, while Leavitt stood beside him looking comparatively young. Commenters also turned their attention to Leavitt’s appearance, claiming she looks significantly older than her 28 years; some quipped that if you split the difference between Riccio’s real age and how old she supposedly looks, the gap doesn’t seem quite as extreme.
Much of the mockery blends personal attacks with political resentment. Critics argue that the age gap alone wouldn’t draw so much fire if Leavitt weren’t aggressively loyal to Trump and fond of tossing out “your mama” style jabs at journalists. Her decision to bring her husband to Mar-a-Lago for official events only added material for detractors, with one user snarking, “I guess it is bring your grandparents to work day then. How sweet!”
For now, the jokes about Riccio’s age and the couple’s dynamic show no sign of slowing down. As long as Leavitt remains a high-profile, combative political figure, her unconventional marriage will likely stay an easy target for people looking to take swings at both her personal life and her politics.