Donald Trump has publicly ribbed Karoline Leavitt over his perpetual bad press.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday while signing an executive order, Trump claimed he receives between 93 and 97 percent negative media coverage before pivoting to the woman tasked with managing his image.
‘Maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know,’ Trump said jokingly, turning to face Leavitt directly. ‘You’re doing a terrible job.’
A White House official confirmed the remarks were made in jest. Trump quickly followed up: ‘Shall we keep her? I think we’ll keep her.’
The moment had a familiar ring. In October, Trump quizzed reporters on Leavitt’s job performance mid-answer during a press gaggle on Air Force One.
‘How’s Karoline doing? Is she doing good? Should Karoline be replaced?’ Trump asked, before assuring her that would ‘never happen.’
Trump has frequently complimented Leavitt, 28, who made history as the youngest White House Press Secretary ever when she took the role in January 2025.
The President has commented several times that her lips ‘move like a machine gun.’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens as Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday
Trump grins at Leavitt on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11
‘She’s a star, and she’s great,’ Trump said in August. ‘I don’t think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline.’
Leavitt is expected to go on maternity leave next month ahead of the birth of her second child, a baby girl due in May.
Leavitt and her husband Nicholas Riccio, 60, welcomed a son, Niko, in July 2024.
