5 times Karoline Leavitt has battled with corporate media since stepping up to podium

Just three months after stepping up the podium, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has already battled with members of the corporate media and the Democrats over their negative and sometimes false narratives about President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Leavitt, who made history as the youngest press secretary to serve in the role, has not let the media off the hook over their narratives of Trump’s agenda. Whether reporters pressed her on tariffs, deportations of criminals or the elimination of wasteful government spending, the new press secretary has not shied away from heated spats with corporate media reporters.

Leavitt Shuts Down AP Reporter Who Suggests She Doesn’t Know Anything About Tariffs 

Associated Press White House reporter Josh Boak alleged that President Donald Trump planned to implement “tax hikes” by imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico during a March 11 briefing. When Leavitt denied that claim, Boak suggested that she was ignorant about how tariffs work.

“He’s actually not implementing tax hikes,” Leavitt said. “Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that again have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people and the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts, as you know. He campaigned on no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security benefits. He is committed to all three of those things and he expects Congress to pass them later this year.”

“I’m sorry, but have you ever paid a tariff, because I have,” Boak continued. “They don’t get charged on foreign companies, they get charged on the importers.”

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Leavitt, who grew visibly offended, told Boak that it was “insulting” that he tested her knowledge on economics. She promised that the then-upcoming tariffs were going to bring “fair and balanced trade” with foreign nations and ultimately raise wages by returning manufacturing jobs to the U.S.

“And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, as I said at the beginning, revenues will stay here, wages will go up and our country will be made wealthy again,” Leavitt fired back. “And I think it’s insulting that you’re trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made. I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”

The White House barred the AP from accessing the Oval Office or Air Force One over its refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden sided in the AP’s favor in an April 8 ruling, stating that the outlet’s exclusion “has been contrary to the First Amendment.”

Leavitt Unleashes On MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace For Invoking 13-Year-Old Cancer Patient To Lament Jan. 6 

Trump awarded an honorary Secret Service badge to 13-year-old Devarjaye “D.J.” Daniel, a cancer patient who has dreamed of becoming a police officer, during his March 4 address to Congress. Following the award, MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace invoked the cancer patient’s new gig to rant about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, stating that she hopes he never has to defend the Capitol against Trump.

“But I hope [Daniel] never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump’s supporters, and if he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide, and I hope he isn’t one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then lived to see Donald Trump pardon those people,” Wallace said after the speech.

The press secretary condemned Wallace’s remarks, along other “divisive” coverage from the corporate media, during a March 5 briefing.

“The mainstream media still doesn’t get it. Last night, MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace disgustingly looped in a 13-year-old boy with brain cancer into an attack on the president over January 6,” Leavitt continued. “In CNN’s first chyron out of the speech called it ‘divisive.’ President Trump wasn’t divisive, the Democrats were. And CNN was proven wrong by their own viewers. 69% of whom in a post-speech poll said they had a positive reaction to the president’s speech. It’s sad and frankly pathetic that Democrats and liberals in the legacy media continue to allow their hatred for the president override their love for our country.”

Leavitt did not mince words as she addressed the behavior of House and Senate Democrats, as well as the corporate media, during the speech.

“The behavior of Democrats last night was completely disgraceful and demonstrated how severely how out of touch they are with the American public,” Leavitt said during a March 5 briefing. “It was the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses in that beautiful chamber. And what was supposed to be a unifying moment for our country, Democrat members of Congress instead screamed at the president of the United States, who was just overwhelmingly reelected by their constituents, walked out of the chamber and worst of all, they disrespected the American people.”

Democrats threatened to protest the address before it had even started, with some not even attending and others bringing props or former federal employees who had been laid off by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Just hours before the speech, 22 Democratic senators released identical videos on social media condemning the president’s economic policy, complaining how egg prices are rising and shaming DOGE leader Elon Musk for shutting down so-called “vital government programs.”

Many congressional members also held signs up during the speech that read, “[Elon] Musk Steals” and “Save Medicaid.”

Shouting Match Ensues Between Leavitt, Reporter Over Identifying Members Of Dangerous Gang 

The corporate media repeatedly alleged that the Trump administration falsely accused some individuals of being members of Tren de Agua, a violent Venezuelan criminal gang, simply because their body art contained specific symbols. Leavitt duked it out with The Independent White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg as he asked if certain body art is enough for someone to be classified as an associated of Tren de Agua.

“You can get classified by simply having certain symbols in your tattoos and wearing certain streetwear brands. That alone is enough to get someone classified as TdA and get them sent to El Salvador,” Feinberg said.

“That’s not true, actually, Andrew,” Leavitt pushed back, prompting doubt from Feinberg.

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The press secretary accused Feinberg, along with the “mainstream media,” of “covering” for violent gang members who had committed heinous atrocities against American women.

“No, according to the Department of Homeland Security and the agents, have you talked to the agents who have been putting their lives on the line to detain these foreign terrorists who have been terrorizing our communities? TdA is a vicious gang who have taken the lives of American women,” Leavitt said. “And our agents on the frontlines take deporting these people with the upmost seriousness and there is a litany of criteria that they use to make sure that these individuals qualify as foreign terrorists and to ensure that they qualify for deportation … Shame on you and shame on the mainstream media for trying to cover for these individuals. This is a vicious gang, Andrew. This is a vicious gang that has taken the lives of American women.”

Members of Tren de Agua have committed heinous rapes, murders, and other serious crimes against American citizens. Two illegal immigrants identified to be members of Tren de Agua strangled 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray to death and dumped her body in a river in Houston, Texas, in June.

Leavitt Calls Media Out To Their Faces For Branding Dan Bongino As ‘Right-Wing Podcaster’ 

Trump appointed Bongino, who has lengthy experience in law enforcement, to serve as deputy director of the FBI. The liberal media largely branded him as being a “right-wing podcaster” and “media personality,” along with accusing him of spreading so-called “misinformation” about the COVID pandemic and the 2020 election.

“This is a man who loves his country and who has honorably served our country in ways that many people have not. He understands the depth of the corruption at these institutions which the American people reelected Trump to shake up,” Leavitt said.

“And I think it’s quite despicable to see many networks in this room who have had chyrons on their television screens labeling Mr. Bongino as a far-right podcaster,” the press secretary continued. “He is not. He is a former law enforcement agent, he is a former Secret Service agent who put his life on the line to protect this country and that is why the president of the United States has entrusted him for this important role.”

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Several legacy media outlets focused in on Bongino’s podcasting career by conveniently leaving out his law enforcement experience in headlines. NPR published a headline titled, “What to know about Dan Bongino, the media personality tapped as FBI deputy director,” which focused heavily on his widely popular podcast, “The Dan Bongino Show,” and accused him of spreading so-called “misinformation” about the COVID-19 pandemic and the now-debunked allegations that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with the Russian government.

CNN’s Brian Stelter, Alejandra Jaramillo and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn referred to Bongino as a “right-wing podcaster” and the “latest outsider media personality” picked by Trump to serve in a significant government position. NBC News ran a piece covering the “shock and dismay” FBI officials felt over Trump picking a “right-wing podcaster and ardent FBI critic” to serve as the deputy director.

Leavitt Sniffs Out NBC Reporter’s Attempt To Stump Her Over Mass DOGE Layoffs 

Leavitt accused the media of being out of touch with the American people on how their tax dollars are spent in response to NBC’s Peter Alexander’s suggestion that DOGE cuts put in place to eliminate wasteful government spending has been done “sloppily.” Leavitt further said the media was ignoring the overwhelming response of the American public and instead taking the word of a “few critics.”

“I love how the media takes a few critics when the overwhelming response from the American people is support for what this administration is doing. If you look at the polling, 70% of Americans, according to CBS, believe that President Trump is delivering on the promises he made,” Leavitt said. “And there should be no secret about the fact that this administration is committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse. The president campaigned on that promise, Americans elected him on that promise and he actually delivered on it.”

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The press secretary further argued that the administration is “committed” to finding and eliminating more “waste, fraud and abuse” by the federal government, naming the funding of foreign mastectomies and Social Security as examples. The Social Security Administration’s inspector general reported in August of 2024 that the agency made at least $71 billion in improper payments between fiscal years 2015 and 2022.

“It’s a clever question. First of all, I think all Americans would agree that funding mastectomies in Mozambique is not something the American people should be finding,” the press secretary said. “Or [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs. I think it’s fraudulent that the American government has been ripping off taxpayers in this way and we also do know that there’s been extensive fraud, particularly if you look at Social Security … So that is a lot of fraud, Peter, that this government has admitted to. So this administration is committed to finding even more of that waste, fraud and abuse.”

“To be clear, that $71 billion was from 2015 to 2022, so it wasn’t in just one year,” Alexander said, leading to immediate pushback from Leavitt.

“So are you defending $71 billion in fraud, Peter? That’s a lot of money, way too much,” Leavitt said. “Why is the media so against cutting waste, fraud and abuse from the government? I don’t get it. We will not be deterred from people like you and the press who are clearly, adamantly opposed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse. But we know the American taxpayers at home who have been struggling with an inflationary crisis don’t want their tax dollars going toward crazy DEI programs and countries overseas. They also don’t like the fact that there has been $71 billion worth of fraud in Social Security and improper payments. That’s a problem that needs to be fixed and President Trump is going to fix it.”

DOGE reported that their estimated savings add up to $150 billion, while they have saved an average of $931.68 for each taxpayer.

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