FOX News’ Dana Perino and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have shared new details about their lives in the limelight in a candid chat about their high-pressure jobs and supportive husbands.
Perino even revealed at the event in Washington DC that it was “love at first flight” when she met her husband over 25 years ago.
Perino, who was President George W. Bush’s press secretary from September 2007 to January 2009, welcomed Leavitt to a special Fox Nation live event on April 30 to speak about Perino’s new book.
She introduced no-nonsense Leavitt by saying, “She has taken the country by storm. As my mom said, she’s a real pistol.
“I wanted to do this tonight because I was the first Republican woman to be press secretary.
“She is the youngest. And we have a connection and have become good friends.”
The TV anchor then turned the tables and Leavitt started to ask Perino questions.
“You have been such an amazing mentor to me and to so many other young women,” Leavitt gushed.
“So I’m excited tonight. I get to ask you questions.”
At the beginning of the chat, Perino opened up about her husband, who she dedicated her book to.
But the anchor recalled the difficulty she had in finding her ideal match in DC as she balanced her career with her personal life.
“When I first moved here, I was single, and I realized after like a couple of years I hadn’t been on a date,” Perino said.
“I mean, people might go hang out at Tortilla Coast.”
A sympathetic Leavitt, 27, responded, “Who has time for that?”
Perino, 52, went on to describe suffering a “quarter-life crisis” at the age of 25.
“So I was part of a singles group at my church, the Church of the Reformation, which is just a couple blocks behind the Supreme Court,” she said.
“And I remember going there. And I was turning 25, so the quarter-life crisis, that I didn’t know that’s what it was called then, but I was going through it.
“Nothing in my life was turning out the way I thought it was going to.”
She’d given up her dream of working on TV – something she later achieved as she’s now an anchor at Fox News.
‘LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT’
Months after the self-described crisis, Perino met her husband-to-be, English-born Peter McMahon.
“I ended up on a plane sitting next to a guy who was British, 18 years older than me, just divorced, had only recently taken his wedding ring off,” said Perino.
“And we ended up talking the entire time. We call it ‘love at first flight.'”
She added, “And I knew I wanted to be with him, but I did have a lot of that worry about: one, what would it do to my career if I decided to leave and move to England, of all places?
“And, two, what would people think about me? He was 18 years older than me.
“Was that going to be something that people thought was a bad decision?”
Leavitt, whose husband is 32 years her senior, nodded as Perino spoke about her marriage before sharing her own experience.
The press secretary went on to call her husband, Nicholas Riccio, her “rock.”
Riccio, 60, is a real estate tycoon who tied the knot with Leavitt in January. Leavitt and Riccio share a 10-month-old son named Niko.
“My husband is actually here with us tonight in the audience. He is a quiet supporter,” Leavitt said.
“He’s probably so embarrassed I just called him out. But he’s amazing. He’s my rock, just like Peter,” she said, referencing Perino’s husband.
Get to know Karoline Leavitt
Donald Trump’s press secretary is the youngest White House press secretary ever at 27.
Here are some fast facts about Karoline Leavitt:
- She was raised Catholic in Atkinson, New Hampshire
- She attended Saint Anselm College
- She started her college’s first broadcasting club
- She interned at Fox News during college
- She worked as the assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany
- She won the Republican primary for the US House of Representatives in New Hampshire in 2022
- She’s married to 60-year-old entrepreneur Nicholas Riccio
- She gave birth to her first son, Niko, in July 2024
- She went back to work for Trump days after giving birth
- She had her mic cut off in a CNN interview in June 2024 after criticizing presidential debate moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper
WORK PRESSURE
The women also talked about work pressures and the struggle to achieve a work-life balance.
Perino explained she initially took on too much work before she got some crucial advice.
“One of the things that happens when you leave a job, especially a press secretary job, is that you think that the last call you get is going to be the last call you will ever get,” she said.
“So in that first year, I said yes to everything. I said yes to every charity event, every opportunity to be on a charity board…
“I just felt so overwhelmed.”
I wanted to do this tonight because I was the first Republican woman to be press secretary. [Karoline Leavitt] is the youngest. And we have a connection and have become good friends.”
Dana Perino
But when she joined Fox News, Leslie Marshall, a contributor, gave her some guidance that changed her life for the better.
“She said, ‘Here’s the rule of three: you have to ask yourself with any opportunity, ‘Am I going to get paid? Does it help a cause that I care about, and do I want to do it?’
“So those three things – asking myself those three questions has really helped me,” Perino said.
“I’ve held on to that for 15 years, ever since she told me.”
Perino writes about her marriage and impressive career in her new book, I Wish Someone Had Told Me: The Best Advice For Building A Great Career And A Meaningful Life, which is available to buy now.
Dana Perino’s advice
“I think one of the hardest things for all humans is living in the moment… Martha MacCallum has great advice in the book, especially for mothers and fathers. But she said that when her kids were little and she was working, she never let herself think more than three months ahead.
“And the reason was because if you do that, you start thinking, well, what preschool you’re going to go to? And then how about high school? And then like what high school and college like, and then it’s going to go to college and then then it’s going to leave and you start like you let your imagination run away and you miss the moment.
“And, and I would say right now I would buy anyone’s extra minutes if I could. It’s the most bipartisan thing in the world. The time that we get in each day and we’re blessed with opportunities.
“And so I would say to the extent that you can, love these moments, they don’t last forever. And your next chapters are going to be amazing. But right now, this is an incredible chapter.”
