Earlier this year, the no-nonsense White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was booted off of a CNN interview with host Kasie Hunt after she called out Jake Tapper over how he spoke of President Donald Trump. After Leavitt refused to refrain from addressing CNN’s treatment of her boss, Hunt ended the interview, kicking the press secretary off the air.
A clip of the incident has circulated on social media, in which Leavitt stated, “It’s takes about five minutes to Google Jake Tapper Donald Trump to see that Jake Tapper has consistently likened President Trump to Adolf Hitler.” Hunt interrupted, “Ma’am. I’m going to stop this interview if you continue to attack my colleagues.”
“I would like to talk about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who you work for,” Hunt added, trying to steer the conversation away from Tapper. Undeterred, Leavitt pressed on, “I am stating facts that your colleagues have stated in the past.” At this point, Hunt ended the interview, as Leavitt continued to talk over her.
Throughout the first few weeks of the second Trump presidency, Leavitt has been praised for her toughness and grit exhibited in the face of hostile media outlets. The American Tribune reported on a more recent incident in which the press secretary confidently shut down a reporter pressing her about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Now hearing from constituents in some traditionally read districts right now complaining about what they say is the chainsaw approach, and saying that it’s been done very sloppily in the cuts to jobs and spending. How do you respond to that criticism?” the reporter asked.
In response, Leavitt cited the unprecedented approval Trump has received from Americans. “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 public polling, 70% of Americans, according to CBS, believe that President Trump is delivering on the promises he made,” she said.
“There should be no secret about the fact that this administration is committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse,” she continued. “The President campaigned on that promise. Americans elected him on that promise, and he’s actually delivering on it. And this is something that Democrats promised they would do for decades. President Trump is just the first president to get it done.”
