You’ve probably seen the name popping up lately. Usually, it’s tacked onto a headline about the White House or a viral photo that someone’s over-analyzing on X. But Nicholas Riccio isn't a career politician. He’s not a press strategist, and he certainly isn't a fan of the limelight. Honestly, he’s a guy who spent most of his life building a real estate empire in New Hampshire while staying as far away from a camera lens as humanly possible.
The world only really started asking "Who is Nicholas Riccio?" when he became the husband of Karoline Leavitt. As the youngest White House Press Secretary in history, her life is lived under a microscope. By extension, her marriage to a man 32 years her senior has become a fascinator for the public. But if you look past the age gap—which everyone loves to harp on—there’s a pretty wild "rags-to-riches" story there that most people actually miss.
The Hampton Beach Mogul
Before he was "the husband of the Press Secretary," Nicholas Riccio was just a guy with a lot of grit and a very specific vision for a street in New Hampshire. He didn't start with a trust fund. Quite the opposite. Riccio grew up in Hudson, N.H., and faced a childhood that was, frankly, brutal. After his parents, Anthony and Marilyn, divorced, things got shaky. By the time he was 18, he was actually homeless.
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He once told The Portsmouth Herald that when he was 19 or 20, he’d call up buddies just to ask if he could come over and watch a game—mostly so he could use their shower. It’s the kind of detail that sounds like a movie script, but for Riccio, it was just Tuesday. He slept in his car. He stocked shelves at grocery stores. He basically white-knuckled his way through Plymouth State University because he knew he needed a way out.
The turning point happened in 1990. He took a real estate course. Suddenly, the lightbulb went on.
Building an Empire on M Street
In the early 90s, Riccio was driving through Hampton Beach with his mother when he saw potential in a bunch of dilapidated, nearly condemned buildings on M Street. Most people saw a dump. He saw a portfolio.
He started small—buying one building, renovating it, then using that momentum to grab the next. By 2005, he’d acquired 15 buildings with about 70 living units on that one street alone. Today, his company, Riccio Enterprises LLC, and its subsidiary, Nautical Beach Properties, manage a massive range of rentals. We’re talking everything from motels and beach houses to apartments stretching from Boston all the way up to the White Mountains.
The Relationship Everyone Is Talking About
The reason you’re likely reading this is the 32-year age difference between Riccio and Karoline Leavitt. He’s 60; she’s 28. In the world of D.C. politics and social media, that’s catnip for critics.
They met back in 2022. Leavitt was running for a congressional seat in New Hampshire at the time. A mutual friend hosted a campaign event at a restaurant Riccio owned, and they were introduced. According to Leavitt, they started as friends. She’s described him as an "introvert" and her "complete opposite."
It’s a weirdly balanced dynamic. She’s the face of the White House, dealing with a room full of aggressive reporters every day. He’s the guy who doesn't even have a public social media account and prefers to stay behind the scenes managing his properties.
- Engagement: December 2023 (He proposed on Christmas Day).
- First Child: Their son, Nicholas Robert "Niko" Riccio, was born in July 2024.
- Wedding: They tied the knot in January 2025 at the Wentworth By the Sea Country Club in Rye, N.H., just days before the second Trump inauguration.
Why Nicholas Riccio Matters Now
Riccio isn't just a spouse; he’s been a significant financial and emotional pillar for Leavitt’s career. He reportedly helped fund her failed 2022 congressional bid, and his established wealth (estimated by various outlets between $6 million and $45 million) allows her the flexibility to pursue one of the most high-pressure jobs on the planet.
Leavitt has been very open about the fact that her husband is a "hands-on father." With a toddler at home and a second baby on the way (announced in late 2025), Riccio is the one holding down the fort in New Hampshire while she’s in the West Wing.
A Quiet Influence
There’s a lot of noise online about their marriage. People have accused Leavitt of "hiding" him in photos or cropping his face to avoid age-gap discourse. But if you look at his history, the guy has always been private. He’s a self-made millionaire who built a legacy by fixing up old buildings in a coastal town. He’s an avid collector of sports memorabilia—he even has a personal "sports museum" in his home—and has long dreamed of owning a pro sports team.
Basically, he’s a businessman who achieved the "American Dream" the hard way and then married into a political whirlwind.
What You Can Learn from His Journey
Whether you’re interested in him because of the politics or just the real estate, there are a few real-world takeaways from Nicholas Riccio’s life:
- Niche Focus Wins: Riccio didn't try to buy the whole state. He focused on a specific street in Hampton Beach and dominated it before expanding. In business, depth often beats breadth early on.
- Resilience Is a Skill: Going from sleeping in a car to owning 70+ units is a testament to the fact that current circumstances don't have to be permanent.
- Privacy is a Choice: Even as the spouse of a major public figure, Riccio proves you can maintain your boundaries. You don't have to be "online" just because your partner is.
If you’re looking to understand the man behind the headlines, stop looking at the age gap and start looking at the property records. That’s where the real Nicholas Riccio lives. He’s a guy who built something from nothing and now provides the stability for one of the loudest voices in the U.S. government to do her job.
To dig deeper into the business side of things, you can look up the public filings for Riccio Enterprises LLC in the New Hampshire Secretary of State records. It gives a much clearer picture of his commercial footprint than any Instagram comment section ever will.