This text initially appeared on vigilantfox.com and was republished with permission.
Karoline Leavitt got here out swinging in immediately’s White Home briefing, taking direct goal at The Washington Publish, defending FEMA’s readiness, and confirming that Trump’s new 50% tariffs on metal and aluminum will take impact at midnight.
She didn’t anticipate reporters to steer the dialog. Earlier than a single query was requested, Leavitt launched into a pointy critique of the Publish for what she described as a dishonest and manipulative headline concerning 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 any thriller about why there’s a lower in fentanyl coming into america!”
She credited the administration’s insurance policies—significantly its border technique and strengthened ties with Mexico—for the decline.
“This administration’s sturdy border insurance policies are the explanation 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 explanation 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 People, and I believe the American folks perceive why there was fentanyl drop.”
And when the Publish unnoticed the administration’s clarification completely?
“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 Publish refused to run them,” she stated.
“And that’s despicable.”
The narrative spinning didn’t cease there. As quickly as reporters bought 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.”
“Among the media reporting we’ve seen has been sloppy and irresponsible,” she added.
“The president isn’t going to allow states to make unhealthy selections 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 interact in such fodder with a query like that.”
The following query got here rapidly—a reporter requested Leavitt about experiences that Israeli forces had opened fireplace on Palestinians trying to entry help 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 are actually experiences that Israeli forces are firing on Palestinians attempting to get help from the Gaza Humanitarian Basis,” the reporter stated. “Is that this administration conscious of this? And what’s being executed to handle this example?”
Leavitt responded calmly, flipping by way of her notes earlier than addressing the room.
“The administration is conscious of these experiences and we’re at present trying into the veracity of them, as a result of sadly not like 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 prefer to look into it after they converse, not like 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 folks had been killed in an help incident’—and oh wait, they needed to appropriate 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 verify them from this podium and earlier than we take motion.”
And she or he closed with a message to the media.
“I recommend that journalists who really care about fact do the identical to scale back the quantity of misinformation that’s going across the globe on this entrance.”
By the point one of many ultimate questions got here, the change adopted a well-known sample—media scrutiny met with detailed pushback.
This time, the main target 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 did not assist the conclusions.
Referencing Leavitt’s prior feedback, the reporter requested, “I simply needed to observe up in your assertion final week concerning the MAHA report. You stated, ‘I perceive there have been some formatting points which might 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 a detailed, a reporter raised a ultimate problem—questioning whether or not the president’s determination to boost tariffs on metal and aluminum was hurting U.S. companies.
“You’ve bought U.S. enterprise leaders begging for certainties. Why did the president instantly 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 target from company issues 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. Lots of them in onerous hats.”
She recounted a dialog with one among them backstage.
“He advised me that is the best factor that’s occurred to that neighborhood in 60 years.”
And she or he closed with a pointed message.
“If not for this president, that metal plant would’ve shut down. These jobs could 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 folks.
• Leavitt blasted the Publish for calling the drop in fentanyl seizures “mysterious,” calling it dishonest spin. She revealed the administration had supplied a full clarification crediting Trump’s border coverage—and the Publish refused to print it.
• When NBC claimed Trump’s workforce cuts might harm 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 interact in such fodder.”
• Leavitt responded to Gaza-related claims by saying the administration doesn’t take Hamas at its phrase—“not like some within the media.” She then revealed the BBC ran a number of false headlines blaming Israel, solely to retract your entire 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 fastened, and snapped: “Precisely what I stated befell.”
• When requested if tariffs harm enterprise, Leavitt stated CEOs had been begging to satisfy with Trump. Then she advised a narrative a few Pennsylvania steelworker who stated Trump’s actions had been “the best factor to occur to our neighborhood in 60 years.”