After one of the most demanding chapters of her political career, Karoline Leavitt is making a major change — not just professionally, but at home.
The former White House press secretary stepped down at the end of August 2026, explaining that after returning from maternity leave she no longer felt she could give both her high-pressure job and her two young children the attention they deserved. CBS News
Now, Leavitt and her husband, real-estate developer Nicholas Riccio, appear to be putting down new roots in Florida, where the couple has taken on a home renovation project. The Daily Beast
It’s a significant change for a family that spent the previous chapter surrounded by the pale interiors and carefully decorated rooms of their Washington-area residence.
Her Life Changed After Baby No. 2
The biggest reason behind Leavitt’s decision wasn’t politics.
It was motherhood.
Leavitt and Riccio welcomed their second child, daughter Viviana — nicknamed Vivi — on May 1, 2026.
She joined their son Nicholas “Niko,” who was born in July 2024.
Announcing Vivi’s arrival, Leavitt described her daughter as healthy and said Niko was happily adjusting to becoming a big brother. EFE Noticias
For several weeks, Leavitt stepped away from the White House briefing room.
When she returned in July, she openly acknowledged how difficult balancing the two worlds could be.
She praised her husband, who was at home with their children while she briefed reporters, and admitted there was no magic formula for managing motherhood alongside such an intense career. ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV
Then She Made a Life-Changing Decision
Less than a month after returning, Leavitt announced that she was leaving her role.
It wasn’t a temporary maternity break.
It was the end of her tenure as White House press secretary.
Leavitt said she had realized she couldn’t be the mother she wanted to be while simultaneously devoting the enormous amount of time and energy required by the position. The Washington Post
She officially departed at the end of August.
At only 29, Leavitt had already made history as the youngest White House press secretary.
But suddenly her priorities looked different.
There were two very young children waiting at home.
Inside the Bright D.C. Home Where Their Family Grew
Before the move, glimpses Leavitt shared from her Washington-area residence revealed a home dominated by bright, neutral colors.
White and cream appeared throughout the living spaces.
The kitchen featured white cabinetry contrasted with darker hardware, while hardwood flooring added warmth to the otherwise light interior.
Family photographs made the house look considerably less like a political backdrop and much more like what it actually was — a home with bottles, baby equipment, toys and the everyday evidence of raising small children.
The residence became particularly significant because Leavitt experienced so many family milestones there.
Niko’s Nursery Was One of the Most Personal Rooms
One of the clearest glimpses inside the family’s home came from photographs of Niko’s nursery.
Unlike the overwhelmingly white common areas, his room incorporated soft blue walls.
A white crib and dresser continued the home’s pale decorating scheme, while a sunburst mirror and personalized “NICHOLAS” sign gave the nursery a more intimate feel.
A light rug covered part of the hardwood floor.
It wasn’t extravagant in the way people sometimes expect the home of a prominent political figure to be.
Instead, it looked calm and distinctly family-oriented.
Then the House Became Home to Another Baby
By Christmas 2025, the family’s photographs revealed another enormous change was coming.
Leavitt announced that she and Riccio were expecting a daughter.
“The greatest Christmas gift we could ever ask for,” she wrote when revealing that a baby girl was due in May. CBS News
Photographs from that period showed Leavitt pregnant beside the family’s Christmas tree, surrounded by pale walls, large windows and a distinctive chandelier.
An ultrasound photograph and a small “BABY SIS” shirt marked the moment Niko was preparing to become an older brother.
Five months later, Vivi arrived.
The Couple’s Age Difference Has Long Attracted Attention
Leavitt’s marriage has generated nearly as much curiosity as her rapid political rise.
Riccio is more than three decades older than his wife.
The two met during Leavitt’s 2022 congressional campaign in New Hampshire and became engaged in 2023.
They married in January 2025, shortly before Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Leavitt has previously described her husband as an introvert and essentially her opposite — one reason he has remained considerably less visible than his politically outspoken wife.
But behind the scenes, Riccio has played an important role in their family life.
When Leavitt returned from maternity leave in July, she publicly thanked him for staying home with their children while she returned to the briefing room. Us
Why Florida Is Significant for the Couple
After leaving the White House, Leavitt revealed another change.
She and Riccio appeared to have purchased a property in Florida, and she began sharing glimpses of the renovation process in September. The Daily Beast
The project represents something different from the polished Washington interiors followers had previously seen.
Instead of showing a finished house, Leavitt offered glimpses of a property being transformed.
For Riccio, that process isn’t unfamiliar.
He’s a real-estate developer whose business career was built largely around property.
That makes renovating a family home an unusually fitting project for this stage of their lives.
But Florida Isn’t Their Only Important Home Base
The viral headline can create the impression that Leavitt has simply abandoned Washington and permanently relocated her entire life to Florida.
The reality is more nuanced.
Leavitt is a New Hampshire native, and her husband has substantial ties to the state through his real-estate business.
More importantly, her newest career move is bringing New Hampshire back to the center of her professional life.
On October 5, it was announced that Leavitt will join Fox News as an on-air contributor beginning November 1.
The Washington Post reported that she recently moved back to New Hampshire and that Fox plans to build an in-home studio for her there. The Washington Post
So the Florida property appears to be an important new family home and renovation project, but it shouldn’t be described as her family’s only residence without qualification.
Her New Career Will Look Very Different
Leaving the White House didn’t mean Leavitt was disappearing from public life.
Far from it.
This week, Fox News announced that she will become an on-air contributor beginning November 1, 2026. The Washington Post
The position will allow her to remain involved in national political discussions without carrying the relentless schedule of serving as the president’s chief spokesperson.
She’s also expected to remain influential in Republican politics.
When Leavitt announced her departure from the administration, Trump said she would continue serving as one of his outside advisers. CBS News
From One Baby to Two in Less Than Two Years
The speed of the changes in Leavitt’s private life is remarkable.
In early 2024, she hadn’t yet become a mother.
Niko arrived that July.
She married Riccio in January 2025.
By the end of that year, she was pregnant again.
Vivi arrived in May 2026.
Three months later, Leavitt left the White House.
And by autumn, the family was embarking on a Florida renovation while Leavitt prepared for a new television career.
The New Chapter Is Clearly About Family
Whatever eventually becomes of the Florida property, Leavitt’s recent decisions have a common thread.
Family.
Her Washington home documented her transition from political operative to wife and mother.
Its pale rooms became the backdrop for pregnancy announcements, newborn photographs, Christmas celebrations and Niko’s first nursery.
Now the family has Vivi as well.
And after spending months trying to balance two babies with one of the most demanding communications jobs in American politics, Leavitt ultimately decided something had to change.
Her career isn’t ending. In fact, her Fox News role means millions of viewers may soon see her regularly again. People.com
But the setting behind the scenes will be different.
There will be fewer daily trips to the White House podium and more time centered around Nicholas, Niko and Vivi — with a newly renovated Florida property becoming another special place in the family’s story.
For Leavitt, leaving Washington wasn’t simply about walking away from a famous job.
It was about choosing what she described as a new chapter — one in which being present for her growing family could finally come first.
Sources: washingtonpost.com, cbsnews.com, people.com, apnews.com, foxnews.com, usmagazine.com, thedailybeast.com
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