Hard Wire

Trump’s Press Sec Holds First Briefing

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In a moment that felt both historic and refreshingly competent, Karoline Leavitt stepped up to the podium for her first press briefing as White House Press Secretary. And let’s just say—this was not your typical Washington affair.

From the moment she walked in, the atmosphere in the briefing room was charged. The press corps, eager to pounce, packed the room in a way that hasn’t been seen in years. Part of the intrigue? Leavitt isn’t just the new voice of the Trump administration—she’s also the youngest person to ever hold the position. But that didn’t mean she lacked presence. Quite the opposite.

One of the most noticeable changes in the White House briefing room setup was the addition of two video monitors flanking the stage. These weren’t just for show—they were used strategically, displaying data and visuals to reinforce key points. Gone, however, was the massive binder that Karine Jean-Pierre relied upon like a crutch. Gone, too, was the stammering, the blank pauses, and the uncomfortable scrambling for answers that had made press briefings under the previous administration an exercise in patience. Instead, Leavitt delivered her remarks with clarity, confidence, and a firm grasp of the administration’s priorities.

She opened with a rundown of what the Trump administration had already accomplished in its first week—something that, given the sheer volume of executive orders signed, was no small feat. One of the highlights? A breakdown of the recent ICE raids, complete with a slideshow showcasing the criminal histories of those arrested. That set the tone quickly: this press secretary wasn’t here to dance around issues.

Another major announcement came when Leavitt declared that the White House would be reinstating press credentials for more than 440 journalists who had theirs revoked under the Biden administration. She made it clear that alternative media would no longer be treated as second-class citizens, calling on Breitbart, The Daily Caller, and One America News for the first rounds of questions. It was a stark contrast to the previous administration, where the White House press corps operated like a closed club, carefully filtering access to favor establishment outlets.

But, of course, the real test of any press secretary isn’t just in the opening statement—it’s in how they handle the press. And if there was one takeaway from Leavitt’s performance, it was this: she was ready.

Take, for example, her first question, which came from Axios’s Mike Allen. That alone was a curious development, given that just weeks ago, Allen and his co-founder openly dismissed White House press briefings as “a waste of time.” And yet, there he was, first in line to ask a question. That kind of hypocrisy wasn’t lost on anyone.

As the briefing progressed, the media’s biggest concern quickly became clear: Trump’s executive order freezing discretionary spending. No fewer than five different reporters hammered Leavitt with variations of the same question, desperate to paint the pause as reckless and chaotic. But she didn’t flinch. Instead, she systematically explained that essential programs—like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—were explicitly exempt, and she highlighted specific examples of wasteful spending that had already been identified, including a $50 million foreign aid program to provide condoms to Gaza.

When NBC’s Peter Alexander tried to press the issue, accusing Leavitt of withholding details, she coolly pointed out that he couldn’t even name a specific program that had been impacted. The moment was a masterclass in turning the media’s own tactics against them—an approach that, judging by the uneasy silence that followed, left an impression.

But perhaps the best showcase of Leavitt’s sharpness came in an exchange with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Collins attempted to corner her on Trump’s firing of certain government officials without the standard 30-day notice, suggesting it was a legal violation. Without hesitation, Leavitt not only refuted the claim but cited a specific Supreme Court ruling from 2020 that affirmed the president’s authority in such cases. No binder, no scrambling—just a direct, well-informed answer that left little room for argument.

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