If you keep track of political news, then you see Karoline Leavitt on television quite a bit. As White House Press Secretary, she effectively serves as President Donald Trump’s voice to the nation. She takes this duty seriously, and she isn’t afraid to take after her boss and get down and dirty with those who try to debate her.
Most of Leavitt’s foes are reporters who ask her pesky questions. While answering those questions is literally her job, Leavitt seems convinced that those asking tough questions must have some agenda to make Trump look bad. Therefore, she ends up sparring with journalists, chief among them various CNN anchors.
Every now and then, those CNN anchors decide to fight back, creating the kind of messy drama we love to follow. Just who has Karoline Leavitt been sparring with, and how did these cranky anchors brutally drag her on live television? Just keep reading to find out!
Why does Karoline Leavitt have so many foes?
Karoline Leavitt’s relationship with the press often leaves critics shaking their heads. After all, her job is to provide America with answers, and journalists’ job is to ask questions. Nonetheless, Leavitt often seems annoyed by both the questions she gets and those who are posing the question in the first place.
This is, in large part, exactly why she has so many enemies. It’s one thing to go after those who go after year…whether with words or fists, that’s just considered self-defense. But going after those who are just trying to do their jobs seems impossibly petty, and pettier still because Leavitt is constantly performing for the cameras. Is it any surprise, though, that a few brave CNN anchors decided to put the press secretary in her place by brutally dragging her on air?
RELATED: Karoline Leavitt: The Surprisingly Luxurious Life of America’s Youngest Press Secretary
Kate Bolduan stomps down on misinformation
Karoline Leavitt’s professional relationship with Donald Trump began before he was re-elected as president. Back then, she was his campaign spokeswoman, which mostly amounted to doing what she now does as press secretary: explaining Trump’s wild words and actions to other people. And in October 2024, she got into a verbal catfight with Kate Bolduan over the matter of spreading misinformation.
You see, Trump had been falsely claiming that FEMA was spending money that should have gone to Hurricane Helene survivors on housing migrants instead. As reported by the Daily Mail, things got nasty when Bolduan asked when Trump would stop spreading lies after they were proven incorrect. As Leavitt kept claiming that Trump wasn’t spreading misinformation, Bolduan exclaimed, “I’m talking! Let me finish.”
Eventually, Leavitt began dodging Bolduan’s increasingly pointed questions. Finally, the CNN anchor gave up, saying, “We’re going to leave it there because I offered you three times to give me the answer, and I’m not getting it!”
Kaitlan Collins keeps it real during press briefings
As you might imagine, Karoline Leavitt’s professional relationship with CNN anchors didn’t get any better after Donald Trump was re-elected president in 2024. Now, as White House Press Secretary, Leavitt has a bigger platform than ever before. She also has a more persistent nemesis than ever before in the form of anchor Kaitlan Collins.
These two have clashed on multiple occasions, but the nastiest one occurred over the Trump administration’s improper use of the Signal chat app to discuss sensitive war plans. These officials aren’t supposed to use such apps because they are not secure and also because of the potential to make major communication mistakes. In this case, the big mistake was accidentally inviting a reporter to the chat, where he later told the world just how unsafe this White House was when it came to planning military operations.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Collins particularly annoyed Leavitt by repeatedly asking about this incident while the press secretary refused to comment. “Kaitlan, I am not taking your follow-up,” Leavitt said after enough requests. That didn’t keep Collins from pressing on and reminding everyone (Leavitt included) what real journalism looks like.
RELATED: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Gets the Ultimate Glow-Up
Kasie Hunt kills an interview
Kasie Hunt is another CNN anchor who sparred with Karoline Leavitt before the latter woman became White House press secretary. Leavitt agreed to an interview with CNN where she complained about the moderators (Jake Tapper and Dana Bash) for Donald Trump’s debate with Joe Biden. And it didn’t take long for things to get downright petty between Leavitt and anchor Kasie Hunt.
As reported by The Guardian, the anchors asked about Trump’s debate strategy, causing Leavitt to call them “biased” and “made their opinions about [Donald Trump] very well known.” This annoyed anchor Kasie Hunt, who wasted no time calling the other woman out. “My colleagues, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, have acquitted themselves as professionals as they have covered campaigns and interviewed candidates from all sides of the aisle,” she said before adding, “If you’re attacking the moderators, you’re usually losing.”
Leavitt continued complaining about the moderators and refusing to answer any questions. This caused Hunt to kill the interview, denying Leavitt any additional airtime to attack those she saw as her boss’s enemies.