During Tuesday’s White House Press Briefing, a tense exchange unfolded between Karoline Leavitt and Associated Press reporter Josh Boak. The confrontation began when Boak raised a question about President Trump’s apparent shift from advocating for tax cuts on the campaign trail to proposing tariffs, which he framed as “tax hikes.”
Boak began by asking, “When President Trump last addressed the BRT, when he was on the campaign trail, his big push was on tax cuts. He’s going there today as he’s proposing tax hikes in the form of tariffs.”
Leavitt swiftly pushed back, asserting, “He’s not doing that.”
But Boak continued with the false premise. “And I’m curious why he’s prioritizing that over the tax cuts?”
“He's actually not implementing tax hikes,” she continued. “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. As you know, he campaigned on no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime, no taxes on Social Security benefits.”
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“He is committed to all three of those things and expects Congress to pass them later this year,” Leavitt added.
But Boak wasn’t done and proceeded to get self-righteous: “I’m sorry, have you ever paid a tariff? Because I have. They don’t get charged on foreign companies; they get charged on the importers.”
Leavitt didn’t flinch. Instead, she responded with a pointed remark that reiterated her earlier point about the broader economic benefits. “And ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade, which the American people have not seen in decades, revenues will stay here, wages will go up, and our country will be made wealthy again.”
Then, in what was perhaps the most striking moment of the exchange, Leavitt drove a stake through the heart of Boak’s line of questioning. “And I think it’s insulting that you are trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions that this president has made,” she said, her tone firm. “I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”
With that, Leavitt not only obliterated Boak's pathetic challenge but masterfully turned the tables, making him and his Democrat-approved line of questioning look absolutely foolish. His transparent attempt to question her grasp of economics and President Trump's policies backfired spectacularly, which left him stammering while she moved on to legitimate questions with the grace of a seasoned pro.
This embarrassing display perfectly exemplifies why the Associated Press has become a shadow of its former self. Instead of maintaining its once-respected position as an independent news source, it's devolved into nothing more than a propaganda machine for the Democratic Party. It's too busy recycling stale Democratic National Committee talking points and playing "gotcha" games with the Trump administration to do actual journalism. The contrast couldn't be clearer — while Biden's incompetent press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, fumbled through her massive binder like a lost freshman, Leavitt demonstrates what real preparation and conservative principles look like.
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