Did Karoline Leavitt Shrug off Trump's 'Terrible Job' Jibe Already? — Here's What We Know
"Behind the scenes of President Trump's address to the nation,” Leavitt wrote in an Instagram story.
Published April 2 2026, 5:39 p.m. ET
Karoline Leavitt shrugs off Donald Trump's 'terrible job' jab
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has seemingly put President Donald Trump’s recent jibe behind her as she sportingly showed him support following his recent Iran address.
A rather awkward exchange between Leavitt and President Trump recently unfolded when the president jokingly said that the press secretary is not doing her job right. The president appeared to hint that all the “bad press” he gets might be Leavitt’s fault.
During a White House press interaction on Tuesday, March 31, President Trump acknowledged that he does get a significant amount of “bad press”. He then turned to Leavitt and remarked, “You’re doing a terrible job.”
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as Karoline Leavitt looks on.
The president added, “But, I get 93-97 percent bad press, fake press, all fake. I won in a landslide. When you get 93-97 percent bad stories, bad press, and you win in a landslide, you know what that says? People don't believe the press.”
President Trump then jokingly asked the reporters who were present at the scene, “Should we keep her?” only to answer his own question with, “I think we’ll keep her.”
However, despite his obvious jovial tone, President Trump’s comments made the situation a bit awkward for everyone present at the press conference. He ended up receiving significant criticism for throwing the youngest White House press secretary in history under the bus for his own "bad press."
What Did Karoline Leavitt Share on Instagram?
Leavitt, who has often defended President Trump in the wake of criticism, appeared visibly stunned at the president's comments. The video of the moment soon went viral. The backlash following the event was such that the White House had to come out with an official statement, confirming that President Trump was only joking.
A snippet from President Donald Trump's recent White House press interaction.
The president's remarks about "bad press" follow his dislike for major media outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post. He has repeatedly called out these media houses for spreading false news about him. He said, “We have to straighten our media... The papers are being dishonest. People don’t believe the media.”
Just a day after the jibe, Leavitt seemed to have brushed aside the incident as she publicly expressed her support to the president following his speech about the war in Iran. In his speech, President Trump assured that Operation Epic Fury is nearing completion and that rising gas prices will soon come back down.
He further stated that the U.S. military has completely abolished Iran’s military power and is looking forward to sending the country back to the Stone Age.
An X post about President Donald Trump's remarks on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
On Wednesday, April 1, Leavitt shared a few snippets from the president's speech as stories on her Instagram account, according to a report by the Irish Star. In one of Leavitt's Instagram stories, President Trump was seen waiting beside the entrance of the Cross Hall of the White House, where the address was held.
As part of the caption for that story, Leavitt wrote, "Behind the scenes of President Trump's address to the nation.” In another Instagram story shared by Leavitt, she could be seen watching the speech on Fox News on a big screen. She captioned the snippet, "Watching 'backstage' in the beautiful Red Room!"