White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt laughed out loud during a new interview when compared to her predecessor, Karine Jean-Pierre.
During an interview with SiriusXM’s “Megyn Kelly Show” on Friday Leavitt discusses the response from the press to the changes in media access under President Donald Trump.
She stated that, despite their public stance, “even the Trump haters” in the corporate media acknowledge the president’s increased access and transparency.
During the discussion, host Megyn Kelly joked about the standards set by Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as press secretary under Joe Biden.
Leavitt couldn’t contain her laughter.
“You must have really wrestled with how you were going to meet the ‘high bar’ set by Karine Jean-Pierre,” Kelly said with sarcasm as Leavitt laughed out loud.
“Sorry, sorry. Was that out loud?
“No, she was terrible. I mean, come on.
“So, how has your approach differed, would you say?”
Leavitt responded by highlighting the contrast between the current administration’s communication style and that of the previous administration.
“I think it’s vastly different,” she said.
“If you ask people, even in the legacy media, even the Trump haters, they will tell you the approach has been much different. Not just for me, but the entire White House.”
Kelly expressed surprise at Leavitt’s claim, prompting the press secretary to elaborate.
She explained that while legacy media reporters may not acknowledge it publicly, they still come to her for information and value the administration’s willingness to engage.
“They come in my office every day, and they’ll admit that off the record,” Leavitt said.
“Maybe not on the record, but they will say they appreciate the access and the transparency and the preparation that goes into my briefings and everybody on our team, by the way, who goes out to the cameras and speaks.
“We have great policy experts who are great spokespeople for the president, and they appreciate the information that they’re being given.”
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The discussion also touched on the media’s handling of Biden’s cognitive struggles before he withdrew from the 2024 race.
When questioned about Biden’s repeated public stumbles, Jean-Pierre had previously dismissed the incidents as “cheap fakes” created by Republicans, a remark made during a June 2024 press briefing.
Kelly later asked Leavitt if she had a “least favorite” reporter so far, leading to a discussion about a recent interaction with NBC’s Peter Alexander outside the White House.
In a video of their exchange, Alexander questioned Leavitt about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its initiatives to reduce government waste.
Leavitt responded by asking Alexander whether he was defending fraudulent payments from Social Security.
“It perplexes me and also infuriates me why the media continues to make excuses for our government spending billions and billions of dollars in wasteful money,” Leavitt said.
“Maybe they don’t mind, but I know there’s millions of people watching that do mind.
“So we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing with DOGE.”
DOGE, with support from Elon Musk, has focused on cutting wasteful spending since President Trump took office for his second term.
The administration’s efforts to overhaul the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have faced legal challenges, with Democrats arguing that the restructuring is unlawful.
Musk announced in a discussion on X that he and Trump had agreed to transfer USAID under the authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The move was met with opposition from a union representing USAID employees, which attempted to block the transfer in court.
However, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols rejected the request, allowing the restructuring to proceed.
As the Trump administration continues to push for transparency and government reform, the media’s response remains divided, with some acknowledging the accessibility of the current White House while others continue their opposition.
READ MORE – Karoline Leavitt: DOGE Bombshell Stunned Corporate Media Reporters Into ‘Sheer Silence’
