This text initially appeared on vigilantfox.com and was republished with permission.
Karoline Leavitt got here out swinging in right this moment’s White Home briefing, taking direct purpose at The Washington Put up, defending FEMA’s readiness, and confirming that Trump’s new 50% tariffs on metal and aluminum will take impact at midnight.
She didn’t watch for reporters to steer the dialog. Earlier than a single query was requested, Leavitt launched into a pointy critique of the Put up for what she described as a dishonest and manipulative headline in regards to the fentanyl disaster.
The headline learn: “The mysterious drop in fentanyl seizures on the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Leavitt known as it what it was: spin.
“How is that this mysterious?” she requested. “There isn’t a thriller about why there’s a lower in fentanyl coming into america!”
She credited the administration’s insurance policies—notably its border technique and strengthened ties with Mexico—for the decline.
“This administration’s robust border insurance policies are the rationale there was a lower in fentanyl trafficking,” she stated. “His strengthened relationship with Mexican President Sheinbaum and all the measures he has been taking to discourage unlawful human and drug trafficking at our United States southern border is the rationale for plummeting fentanyl seizures on the U.S. Border.”
However to Leavitt, this wasn’t nearly a deceptive headline. She known as it intentional narrative manipulation.
“That is clearly attempting to deliberately manipulate the minds of Individuals, and I believe the American individuals perceive why there was fentanyl drop.”
And when the Put up neglected the administration’s rationalization totally?
“Our workplace responded to this inquiry, we supplied a complete host of the explanations that fentanyl seizures have dropped on the southern border, and The Washington Put up refused to run them,” she stated.
“And that’s despicable.”
The narrative spinning didn’t cease there. As quickly as reporters acquired the mic, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell pushed her community’s angle, claiming Trump’s federal workforce cuts might weaken FEMA’s response throughout hurricane season.
“FEMA is taking this severely,” Leavitt responded. “Kristi Noem and the FEMA management are throughout this.”
“A few of the media reporting we’ve seen has been sloppy and irresponsible,” she added.
“The president isn’t going to allow states to make dangerous choices after which come begging for bailouts with federal tax {dollars}.”
O’Donnell adopted up with a jab a few previous FEMA joke. Leavitt ended it proper there: “It’s critical enterprise, Kelly, and I’m not going to have interaction in such fodder with a query like that.”
The subsequent query got here shortly—a reporter requested Leavitt about experiences that Israeli forces had opened fireplace on Palestinians trying to entry assist in Gaza. The inquiry pressed whether or not the administration was conscious of the scenario and what steps had been being taken in response.
“There at the moment are experiences that Israeli forces are firing on Palestinians attempting to get assist from the Gaza Humanitarian Basis,” the reporter stated. “Is that this administration conscious of this? And what’s being completed to deal with this case?”
Leavitt responded calmly, flipping via her notes earlier than addressing the room.
“The administration is conscious of these experiences and we’re at present wanting into the veracity of them, as a result of sadly in contrast to some within the media, we don’t take the phrase of Hamas with complete fact.”
She pointed to a latest instance involving the BBC.
“We wish to look into it after they converse, in contrast to the BBC, who had a number of headlines: they wrote ‘Israeli tank kills 26,’ ‘Israeli tank kills 21,’ ‘Israeli gunfire kills 31,’ ‘Pink Cross says 21 individuals had been killed in an assist incident’—and oh wait, they needed to right and take down their ENTIRE story.”
After a pause, she added, “Saying we reviewed the footage and couldn’t discover any proof of something. Oh, okay!”
Leavitt used the second to emphasise a broader level.
“So we’re going to look into experiences earlier than we affirm them from this podium and earlier than we take motion.”
And he or she closed with a message to the media.
“I counsel that journalists who truly care about fact do the identical to cut back the quantity of misinformation that’s going across the globe on this entrance.”
By the point one of many last questions got here, the alternate adopted a well-known sample—media scrutiny met with detailed pushback.
This time, the main focus was the MAHA report, which has been linked to RFK Jr.
A reporter pressed Leavitt, suggesting the report had extra critical flaws than beforehand acknowledged—not simply formatting points, however citations that both didn’t exist or didn’t help the conclusions.
Referencing Leavitt’s prior feedback, the reporter requested, “I simply wished to comply with up in your assertion final week relating to the MAHA report. You stated, ‘I perceive there have been some formatting points which can be being addressed and the report will probably be up to date.’”
“It was,” Leavitt replied.
The reporter adopted up: “Once you stated formatting errors, is that what you meant?”
Leavitt responded instantly. “Yeah, that’s what I used to be speaking about. There have been formatting errors. These had been corrected by the suitable coverage groups on the White Home, and a brand new report was issued.”
She then added with emphasis, “So EXACTLY what I stated befell.”
Simply because the briefing was coming to an in depth, a reporter raised a last problem—questioning whether or not the president’s resolution to boost tariffs on metal and aluminum was hurting U.S. companies.
“You’ve acquired U.S. enterprise leaders begging for certainties. Why did the president all of a sudden resolve to hike tariffs once more?”
Leavitt pushed again.
“You even have U.S. enterprise leaders begging to satisfy with this president and begging to come back to the White Home to speak to him.”
She then shifted the main focus from company considerations to the administration’s broader priorities.
“They know he’s the negotiator-in-chief, making good offers on behalf of the American employee—and the steelworker particularly.”
Leavitt described what she noticed firsthand at a latest occasion.
“I used to be at that speech in Pennsylvania on Friday. There have been 2,000 steelworkers and their households within the room. A lot of them in onerous hats.”
She recounted a dialog with one in every of them backstage.
“He instructed me that is the best factor that’s occurred to that neighborhood in 60 years.”
And he or she closed with a pointed message.
“If not for this president, that metal plant would’ve shut down. These jobs can be gone. He saved that firm. He saved these jobs. And he’s saving that neighborhood.”
For Leavitt, it wasn’t only a coverage protection—it was a narrative about actual individuals.
• Leavitt blasted the Put up for calling the drop in fentanyl seizures “mysterious,” calling it dishonest spin. She revealed the administration had supplied a full rationalization crediting Trump’s border coverage—and the Put up refused to print it.
• When NBC claimed Trump’s workforce cuts might damage hurricane response, Leavitt fired again: “FEMA is taking this severely.” She added that Kristi Noem and FEMA management had been totally engaged, and accused NBC of sloppy, agenda-driven reporting.
• Kelly O’Donnell (NBC Information) tried to revive the FEMA angle with a snide reference to a previous joke. Leavitt shut it down immediately: “It’s critical enterprise, Kelly, and I’m not going to have interaction in such fodder.”
• Leavitt responded to Gaza-related claims by saying the administration doesn’t take Hamas at its phrase—“in contrast to some within the media.” She then revealed the BBC ran a number of false headlines blaming Israel, solely to retract all the story after no proof was discovered.
• A reporter tried to nook her on alleged quotation points within the RFK-linked MAHA report. Leavitt confirmed there have been solely formatting errors, they had been mounted, and snapped: “Precisely what I stated befell.”
• When requested if tariffs damage enterprise, Leavitt stated CEOs had been begging to satisfy with Trump. Then she instructed a narrative a few Pennsylvania steelworker who stated Trump’s actions had been “the best factor to occur to our neighborhood in 60 years.”
