Karoline Leavitt’s Fiery Showdown: 5 Most Intense Moments from White House Press Briefing

In a heated White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced off against reporters, tackling accusations of judicial overreach, defending free speech, and sidestepping questions on foreign policy and internal decisions. The briefing highlighted the Trump administration’s combative stance with the media and its push for new voices in the press room. Here are the five most explosive moments from the session.

1. Battling the “Constitutional Crisis” Narrative Leavitt forcefully rejected claims of a constitutional crisis at the White House, instead pointing the finger at liberal district court judges. She accused them of issuing 12 injunctions in just 14 days to block Trump’s executive actions, calling them “judicial activists” undermining the will of 77 million voters. “Each injunction is an abuse of the rule of law,” she said, vowing to fight the rulings legally.

2. Championing Free Speech with Rumble’s CEO Welcoming Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski to the new media seat, Leavitt emphasized Trump’s commitment to free speech. Responding to Pavlovski’s question about global censorship, she highlighted an executive order signed in Trump’s first week to curb government-sponsored censorship. “The president leads by example with daily transparency,” she said, promoting the inclusion of alternative media in the briefing room.

3. Clash Over Barring an AP Reporter Tensions spiked when a reporter questioned the decision to bar an Associated Press journalist from the Oval Office, citing the outlet’s refusal to use “Gulf of America” over “Gulf of Mexico.” Leavitt defended the move, stating, “It’s a fact that the body of water is called the Gulf of America,” and insisted the administration would hold outlets accountable for “lies.” The exchange raised concerns about press freedom and retaliation.

4. Evading Questions on Putin and Ukraine When asked about preconditions for Trump’s proposed meeting with Vladimir Putin or Ukraine’s NATO membership, Leavitt sidestepped, saying she hadn’t discussed the issues with the president. “I don’t want to get ahead of him,” she said, deferring to Trump’s negotiators and leaving reporters without clear answers on critical foreign policy matters.

5. Defending Trump’s Team and Nominees Leavitt dismissed claims that Elon Musk was overshadowing Trump as “ridiculous,” accusing Democrats and the media of trying to divide the administration. She also expressed frustration with Senator Mitch McConnell for voting against Trump’s nominees, including Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth, urging Republicans to unite behind the president’s “exceptionally qualified” picks.

Leavitt also highlighted Trump’s recent actions, including ending the use of paper straws, imposing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, and launching the DOGE Workforce Optimization Initiative to shrink the federal workforce. She celebrated the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and detailed ongoing deportation efforts, noting the arrest of criminal illegal aliens across the U.S.