White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has sparked controversy after social media users accused her of digitally altering her husband’s face in a recent Instagram post.
The 28-year-old communications director posted polished Halloween photos of her family on Sunday. The images featured her husband, Nicholas Riccio, 60, and their 16-month-old son, Niko, who was dressed in an adorable pumpkin costume.
Despite the attention-grabbing outfit worn by young Niko, it was his father’s unusually smooth complexion that caught the eye of many observers.
Comparisons between Leavitt’s social media posts and those taken by press photographers revealed noticeable differences, suggesting the Instagram photos may have been retouched.
As a result, Leavitt’s Instagram page quickly became the target of numerous comments accusing her of enhancing her husband’s facial appearance.
“The airbrushing of your husband’s face to make him appear younger was the trick,” one commenter noted.
‘Karoline, awesome picture but my friends noticed something: The guy on the left seems to have only his face photoshopped. His hands look like 60+ years old,’ another user added.
Leavitt, who has more than 2.6million followers has not responded publicly to the criticism or addressed whether any of the photos had been edited before being posted.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 28, posted this polished Halloween photo to her Instagram prompting speculation she photoshopped her husband’s face
Other photos published by news agencies show a more ‘unfiltered’ appearance
By Monday evening, Leavitt’s Halloween post had drawn more than 235,000 likes with many comments zeroing in on Riccio’s seemingly smooth complexion.
Leavitt’s team has previously emphasized her focus on transparency and communication in the role she assumed earlier this year.
The White House press secretary has spoken openly in past interviews about her relationship with Riccio, a real-estate developer with ties to her home state of New Hampshire.
Appearing on The Megyn Kelly Show in March, she described their meeting and marriage as ‘a very atypical love story.’
‘A mutual friend of ours hosted an event at a restaurant that he owns up in New Hampshire and invited my husband,’ Leavitt told Kelly. ‘I was speaking. We met and we were acquainted as friends. And then we fell in love.’
She said the pair welcomed their son Niko in July 2024 before marrying six months later.
‘He is my greatest supporter, he’s my best friend and he’s my rock,’ Leavitt said. ‘He’s built a very successful business himself so now he’s fully supportive of me building my success in my career.’
‘And he is so supportive, especially during a very chaotic period of life,’ she added. ‘I say, “I walked into your life and it’s been a circus ever since,” but God bless him because he’s fully on board.’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is seen carrying her son, Niko, during a Halloween celebration on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Thursday
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are seen handing out candy to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, her husband Nicholas Riccio and their son Niko
Karoline Leavitt could be seen carrying little Niko in front of a pumpkin-lined staircase at the White House
Leavitt’s photos were taken shortly before Donald Trump brought Halloween joy to children by handing out candy at the White House.
The Trumps emerged from the White House’s southern entrance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller being played by a military string ensemble on Thursday.
The duo delighted children who lined up in costumes to meet them.
Trump revived one of his favorite trick-or-treat games from his 2019 Halloween party by bopping a child dressed as a marshmallow on the head with a chocolate bar, before placing it atop his costume for the child to collect.
The President went viral during his first term in 2019 for playing the same game with a child dressed in a Despicable Me costume.
Dozens of carved jack-o-lanterns filled with lights decorated the mansion’s sprawling staircases along with fall foliage, pumpkins and other autumn staples.
The exterior of the home was decorated in faux falling autumn leaves and Melania wore a beige and orange trench coat to celebrate the holiday.
Trump revived one of his favorite trick-or-treat games from his 2019 Halloween party by bopping a child on the head with a chocolate bar, before placing it atop his costume for the child to collect
The duo delighted children who lined up decked out in costumes to meet with them
The president was fresh from a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
However, he dutifully handed out chocolate bars to children in costumes ranging from astronauts to McDonald’s workers for over an hour.
Daily Mail has contacted Leavitt for comment.
