Karoline Leavitt, at 28, is the youngest to serve as White House press secretary.
Leavitt, a spokesperson for Donald Trump during his campaign, recently shared President Trump’s views on bringing back tariffs in trade with China.
Karoline Leavitt, who comes from New Hampshire, studied communications and political science at Saint Anselm College, a Catholic school in her home state.
While still a student, she interned at Fox News and worked in the press office at Trump’s White House.
During her time at the college, she excelled both academically and athletically.
She was named to the Dean’s List multiple times and earned spots on the Northeast-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fall and spring semesters in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Leavitt was also a standout athlete on the college softball team. As a freshman in 2016, she played in all 36 games, recording 22 hits, 14 RBIs, and three home runs.
Tense Exchange At White House Briefing: Karoline Leavitt Clashes With AP Reporter Over Tariffs And Tax Policy
A Facebook post claimed a reporter was fired after insulting Karoline Leavitt during a live TV interview, making it sound like a massive scandal.
According to the post, things got heated when the reporter commented rudely, and Leavitt responded strongly. It said the moment shocked everyone, and that the reporter lost their job shortly after.
The post made it seem dramatic and viral, but it was just clickbait. The story was exaggerated, and there’s no objective evidence that anything like that happened.
Well, during the White House press briefing in March, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got into a tense exchange with an Associated Press reporter, Josh Boak.
He questioned President Trump’s stance on tariffs, suggesting that the president had shifted from supporting tax cuts to pushing tax increases through tariffs.
“I’m curious why he is prioritizing that over tax cuts, He is not doing that.”
Josh Boak
Leavitt pushed back firmly, saying that wasn’t true and explaining that tariffs target foreign countries, not American citizens.
He is actually not implementing tax hikes,Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts.
Karoline Leavitt
As you know, he campaigned on no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security benefits. He has committed to all three of those things, and he expects Congress to pass them later this year…
She argued that the president still supports tax cuts and is focused on policies like ending taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits.
The conversation heated up when the reporter said he had personally paid tariffs and pointed out that importers, often American businesses, end up covering those costs.
“I’m sorry, have you paid a tariff? Because I have, They don’t get charged on foreign companies. They get charged on the importers.”
Josh Boak
Then, Karoline Leavitt wrapped up the exchange by saying that with fair trade policies, something she believes the U.S. hasn’t had in a long time, the country would keep more money at home, wages would rise, and the economy would grow stronger.
She also criticized the reporter personally, saying it felt disrespectful that he was questioning her understanding of economics and the president’s choices.
She ended by saying she regretted calling on the Associated Press for a question.
The back-and-forth caught attention because it was direct and sharp. Some online posts exaggerated the moment for drama, even though no one was fired.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- She appeared in 19 games in her sophomore year and made 14 starts, primarily as a designated player.
- Leavitt contributed with key hits, including a game where she went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
- She was the Republican candidate in the United States House of Representatives election for New Hampshire’s first congressional district in 2022.
