Karoline Leavitt’s Most Memorable Moments as White House Press Secretary

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions during a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026. —Li Yuanqing—Xinhua/Getty Images During her time behind the White House podium, departing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has gained a reputation for her sharp retorts to reporters, an echo of President Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with the press .

Leavitt will step down from her role at the White House at the end of the month to spend more time with her family, Trump announced on Wednesday—”a decision,” he said in a Truth Social post , “I totally understand and respect!” He added that she “will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party.” In her own social media post on Wednesday, Leavitt called the White House Press Secretary role “the honor and adventure of a lifetime” and went on to thank the President.

“Most of all, I am thankful to the President for entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium,” she said.

“I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes.” Read More: Karoline Leavitt to Step Down as White House Press Secretary Here are some of the most notable moments of Leavitt going head-to-head with the press in the year and a half she has served in her role.

When she said she regretted giving a question to The Associated Press During a press briefing in March 2025, Leavitt had a heated exchange with Josh Boak, a reporter at The Associated Press, after he asked why Trump was prioritizing “tax hikes in the form of tariffs” rather than the tax cuts he vowed to enact while he was campaigning during the 2024 election.

“He’s actually not implementing tax hikes.

Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off,” Leavitt replied.

“Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the President is a staunch advocate of tax cuts.” Boak pushed back by saying: “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 responded by arguing that tariffs would be beneficial for Americans, before adding that Boak was being “insulting.” “I think it’s insulting that you’re trying to test my knowledge of economics, and the decision that this President has made,” she said.