Breaking
Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says some members of the White House press corps have privately apologized to her for the questions they asked on camera. Leavitt made the claim during an appearance on Fox News host Sean Hannity’s podcast, “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” released Tuesday, September 22. Recounting what she said reporters told her after briefings, Leavitt said, “There’s been times reporters have even said to me, ‘I’m sorry, I had to ask that today, you know, my bosses really wanted me to ask that.'”
Leavitt argued that much of what happens in the briefing room is staged for the cameras. “Yeah, there’s a performative aspect to the briefing room, in fairness, I think on both sides, right, but definitely with the press,” she said. “And they have to do that because their bosses are demanding it.” She added that reporters “know it’s an unfair question, but they’re not in control of their own livelihood.” Leavitt did not name the reporters or the news organizations involved. Her comments quickly spread across Fox News, Townhall, PJ Media and The Daily Signal and drew sharp criticism from left-leaning outlets.
Details & Background
Leavitt served as the 36th White House press secretary from January 20, 2025, until August 27, 2026. She was 27 when she took the podium, making her the youngest press secretary in American history. Before that, she served as national press secretary for Trump’s 2024 campaign, worked as communications director for Representative Elise Stefanik, and ran for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022. She stepped down in August to focus on her family. During her tenure, she reshaped the briefing room by creating a dedicated “new media” seat and moving control of the press pool to the White House.
In the same interview, Leavitt reflected on lessons from working for President Donald Trump. She said the media’s “bias of omission is the most dangerous,” explaining, “The president would sign amazing executive orders or give great speeches that they don’t even cover.” She also said, “Writing about an executive order that the president of the United States signed should not be a questionable thing… it should just be, ‘Yeah, of course I’ll write about this.'” Her remarks come as the administration’s battle with the press escalates. Last Friday, Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily blocked that ban, and Trump has said he will appeal.
Reactions
Leavitt said she is not demanding favorable coverage. “We’re not asking for, like, positive puff pieces every day. Just fairness. Truth. Accuracy,” she said. She also singled out CBS News for praise under its new leadership. “We’re seeing big changes at CBS, which I think are great. I think we’ve seen a lot of improvement with them,” Leavitt said. She reserved harsher words for much of the rest of the national press, saying, “They believe they are arbiters of the truth and doing the country a great service, but they are clearly slanted and biased against the president.”
Critics were quick to respond. Left-leaning commentators and outlets dismissed the claim as self-serving and pointed out that Leavitt offered no names, dates or specifics to back it up. Supporters countered that her account matches what many conservatives have long suspected about the gap between how reporters behave on camera and off. As of Thursday, no White House reporter or news organization has publicly responded to say whether they apologized to Leavitt, and she has not identified anyone by name. Her account therefore remains her own description of private conversations, and it cannot be independently verified.
Why This Matters to You
Most Americans get their understanding of what the government is doing from the White House press corps. If reporters are asking questions because their bosses want a confrontational clip rather than because they are seeking answers, as Leavitt alleges, then the public is getting a distorted picture of policy decisions that affect taxes, immigration, public safety and national security. Polls have long shown low public trust in the national media, and claims like Leavitt’s feed directly into that debate.
The fight over press access has now moved into federal court, where the rules governing who gets into the White House, and on what terms, are being tested. How that fight ends will determine how much Americans hear directly from their government, and through whose filter. Leavitt’s message is that the country deserves reporting built on fairness, truth and accuracy. With a federal judge now weighing in and the president vowing an appeal, the battle over who controls the White House story is far from over.
