3 moments that will make you miss Karoline Leavitt

President Donald Trump announced on Aug. 12 that one of his "most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt," was departing the role of White House press secretary after 19 months so that "she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family."

Leavitt, who gave birth to her second child on May 1, noted, "Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime."

'You’re a left-wing hack. You’re not a reporter. You're posing in this room as a journalist.'

Unlike with her lesbian predecessor, Americans may soon come to miss Leavitt. After all, the unflappable Republican was responsible for a number of memorable moments. Three in particular stand out.

1. 'They are criminals'

Just days after Trump retook office, a reporter noted Immigration and Customs Enforcement had already made roughly 3,500 arrests, then asked, "How many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally?"

Leavitt signaled right away that she wasn't going to join the liberal media in downplaying the crime of stealing into the United States.

"All of them," said Leavitt, "because they illegally broke our nation’s laws, and therefore they are criminals as far as this administration goes."

The former press secretary acknowledged that after four years of the Biden administration, "It's a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that's exactly what they are."

2. 'Left-wing hack'

A year later, Niall Stanage, a White House columnist from The Hill, quoted then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as saying that ICE was doing "everything correctly." After noting that some Americans have been arrested by ICE and invoking the name of Renee Good — an anti-ICE radical who was fatally shot while driving her SUV into an ICE agent — Stanage asked, "How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?"

RELATED: Karoline Leavitt rips into WaPo for 'BS story' about Trump and Hegseth

Jim WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

It didn't take long for Leavitt to suss out Stanage.

"Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?" asked Leavitt.

Stanage replied, "Because an ICE agent reacted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably."

Leavitt delivered her diagnosis: "OK, so you’re a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion. ... You’re a left-wing hack. You’re not a reporter. You're posing in this room as a journalist, and it’s so clear by the premise of your question."

"You shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat," added Leavitt.

The former press secretary continued to castigate Stanage, suggesting that he had a blind spot for the Americans killed by the very illegal aliens whom ICE works to detain and deport.

3. Maternal selection

President Trump revealed in October 2025 that he was planning to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, "to see if we can bring this 'inglorious' War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end."

The Huffington Post's S.V. Dáte pressed the White House on why the capital of a friendly NATO country that's a three-hour flight away from Moscow had been chosen as the destination for the meeting, writing, "Is the president aware of the significance of Budapest? In 1994, Russia promised, in Budapest, not to invade Ukraine if it gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited when the Soviet Union dissolved. Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site? Who suggested Budapest?"

The tone of the query clearly rubbed Leavitt the wrong way. She answered, "Your mom did."

"Is this funny to you?" said Dáte, evidently unaware that it would soon be funny to a great many Americans.

Leavitt later noted, "For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points."

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