The Reasons Why — The Truth Matters, Now More Than Ever

🎤 The Press Secretary's Reality: A Year of Lies, Gaslighting, and Doublethink

The job of the White House Press Secretary is to communicate the President's positions to the American public on behalf of the American public. The position is paid for by taxpayers. It exists to inform citizens, not to deceive them. Karoline Leavitt — the youngest Press Secretary in U.S. history at 28, sworn in January 28, 2025 — has, in her first year on the job, redefined the position. She has surpassed her predecessor's career fact-check total in less than three months. She has stood at the podium and told reporters that tariffs are a tax cut, that affordability is a hoax, that the Epstein files prove Trump's innocence, that the Iran war is going great, and that anyone who reports otherwise is “biased,” a “left-wing hack,” or pushing “untrue narratives.” What follows is a documented record of the past year — the lies, the delusions, the gaslighting, and the increasingly visible disconnect between what Karoline Leavitt says from the podium and the reality everyone outside the West Wing is living in.

📋 The Tariffs Are a Tax Cut Lie

On March 11, 2025, in a press briefing exchange with AP reporter Josh Boak, Press Secretary Leavitt delivered the line that PolitiFact readers eventually voted as one of the top contenders for 2025 Lie of the Year: “Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people.” Every economist who has ever studied tariffs disagrees with this. The disagreement is not partisan. It is arithmetic.

The PolitiFact verdict: FALSE. PolitiFact reached out to “an ideologically diverse group of economists” — libertarian, liberal, mainstream — and not one would defend Leavitt's claim. Independent libertarian economist Daniel Mitchell told PolitiFact: “The statement that tariffs are a tax cut is nonsensical.” Steve Fazzari, an economist at Washington University in St. Louis: “I cannot think of any direct way in which a higher tariff is a tax cut.” (PolitiFact)
The basic economic fact: tariffs are taxes on imported goods, paid by U.S. importers, who pass the cost on to American consumers through higher retail prices. Every legitimate economic analysis — including the Trump administration's own internal models — shows tariffs raise consumer prices. Calling that a “tax cut” is the opposite of true. (PolitiFact)
The repeated lie. Leavitt did not use the line once. She has repeated this claim multiple times across multiple press briefings throughout 2025 and 2026. Every repetition is documented. None has been retracted. (PolitiFact / Trump Hall of Shame)
The receipt at the gas pump. Gas is at $4.30 a gallon. Grocery prices are at record highs. Inflation hit 3.3% in March 2026 — the highest in nearly two years. The actual cost of Leavitt's “tax cut” is being paid by every American who drives to work, buys food, or heats a home. (CBS News / Al Jazeera)
The institutional context. By comparison: in 16 months as Press Secretary under Biden, Jen Psaki received two total PolitiFact fact checks — one rated false. Karine Jean-Pierre received four total in her tenure, two rated false. Leavitt surpassed both of their career totals within three months. (CNY Central / Trump Hall of Shame)

Sources: PolitiFact — Tariffs Tax Cut • PolitiFact 2025 Lie of the Year • CNY Central — Fact Check Comparison

🍳 “Affordability Is a Hoax”: Gaslighting Americans on Their Own Bills

The most psychologically alarming pattern in Leavitt's tenure is not the lies themselves — politicians lie — it's the insistence that Americans are imagining the cost-of-living crisis they are visibly experiencing. The administration's official position, repeated from the podium, is that the affordability crisis is a partisan hoax invented by Democrats. The American public, including a substantial portion of Trump's own base, is being told their grocery bills are not real.

December 11, 2025 press briefing. Leavitt, confronted by CNN's Kaitlan Collins about the cost of living, declared: “President Trump understands better than any politician in this city the pain that the American consumer has been feeling for years now.” Trump's net worth, per Forbes: $7.3 billion. (Daily Beast)
The same briefing. When pressed on whether Americans were actually struggling, Leavitt: “Every economic metric — Kaitlan, and I wish you would report more on it — does in fact show that the economy is getting better and brighter than where it was under the previous administration… The best is yet to come.” (HuffPost)
The actual numbers from the same week.
- AP-NORC poll: Trump's approval on the economy at 31% — an all-time low.
- Politico poll: nearly half of Americans, including 37% of Trump voters, say cost of living is the worst they have ever experienced.
- Harvard/Harris poll: a majority of voters say Trump's tariffs are hurting the economy.
- Politico poll: 27% of Americans skipped a medical check-up in the last two years due to cost; 23% skipped a prescription.
(MS NOW / Democracy Collaborative)
February 24, 2026 — the unforced error. Previewing Trump's State of the Union, Leavitt told reporters Trump would announce policies “to continue tackling the affordability crisis that Joe Biden created one year ago.” A reporter pointed out that Joe Biden was not president one year ago. Trump had been in office for over 13 months. Aaron Rupar's clip went viral. (LittleThings)
The same speech, same year. Trump told a Pennsylvania rally crowd that affordability was “a hoax” — then 15 minutes into the same speech said his administration was “bringing prices down.” The hoax he was bringing prices down on. Leavitt defended both contradictory positions in the same week. (MS NOW)
The Marie Antoinette moment. At the same Pennsylvania rally, Trump — with prices for popular Christmas gifts up 26% — told struggling parents: “You don't need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice. You don't need 37 dolls.” Leavitt was asked the next day whether the Christmas-doll comments were tone-deaf. Her defense: “The president wants products made right here in America… Maybe you'll pay $1 or two more, but you will get better quality, and you'll be supporting your fellow Americans.” Two dolls instead of 37. One or two extra dollars. From a billionaire who just demolished the East Wing for a $400 million ballroom. (HuffPost / WION)
The Orwellian frame. The Conversation explicitly compared Leavitt's December 11 briefing to George Orwell's 1984: the Ministry of Plenty's “fabulous statistics… that had no connection with anything in the real world.” Leavitt, on inflation: “Inflation as measured by the overall CPI has slowed to an average 2.5% pace. Real wages are increasing roughly $1,200 dollars for the average worker.” The CPI report cited shows the opposite of what she described. (The Conversation)

Sources: HuffPost — Collins Confrontation • Daily Beast • LittleThings — Biden Time-Travel Gaffe • The Conversation — Orwellian Doublethink • Democracy Collaborative

📁 The Epstein Cover Story: “Most Transparent Administration Ever”

Trump campaigned on a promise to release the Epstein files. He has not. Instead, when documents have come out through House Oversight subpoenas of Epstein's estate, Leavitt's response from the podium has been a mix of dismissal, denial, and one of the most spectacularly counter-factual claims of her tenure: that the Trump White House is the most transparent administration in history on the Epstein files.

September 9, 2025. After Congress released a 2003 birthday letter and a novelty check that appeared to bear Trump's signature, Leavitt declared the signatures were “fake” and the documents a “hoax.” The New Republic and other outlets noted that examples of nearly identical Trump signatures from the same period are widely available in the public record. Leavitt refused to walk back the claim. (The New Republic / PBS)
The next day, September 10. Asked by Maggie Haberman of the New York Times to explain her own claim that the files were a hoax, Leavitt fumed: “I never said the Epstein documents were a hoax.” Less than 24 hours after she had said exactly that, in writing. (The New Republic)
November 12, 2025. After House Oversight Democrats released emails between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that named Trump and described one of Epstein's victims spending “hours” at Epstein's house with Trump, Leavitt's response: “These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong.” The emails do not prove that. (NPR / PBS)
The fabulous claim. In the same November 12 briefing, Leavitt declared: “This administration has done more with respect to transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein than any administration ever.” The Guardian's Washington bureau chief David Smith called the claim “fabulously audacious” in a story headlined “Nothing to see here: Trump press chief in full denial mode over Epstein.” (The Conversation / The Guardian)
The actual record. The DOJ posted an unsigned memo on July 7, 2025 saying there was no list of Epstein's clients and no basis to reopen the case — despite Attorney General Pam Bondi having reportedly told Trump in May that Trump's name appeared multiple times in the “truckload” of documents she had reviewed. Bondi never publicly acknowledged that. (TikTok/Sky News transcript / NPR)
Trump signed a bill in November 2025 directing the DOJ to release its Epstein files. The DOJ has not released them. Leavitt has continued to insist the administration is being maximally transparent. The files have not been released. (PolitiFact / NPR)
The 2025 Lie of the Year. PolitiFact's 2025 Lie of the Year went to Trump's claim that the Epstein files “were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama. They were made up by Biden.” — rated “Pants on Fire.” Leavitt's job has been to defend that claim from the podium. Every day. Without breaking. (PolitiFact)

Sources: The New Republic — Hoax Walkback • PBS NewsHour — November 12 Briefing • NPR • PolitiFact — 2025 Lie of the Year

🛡️ The Iran War Spin: Defending Signalgate, Denying Costs

On the war that Trump launched February 28, 2026 — the war that has driven gas to $4.30, killed at least six American servicemembers, cost $25 billion by the Pentagon's admission and up to $50 billion by congressional staff estimates — Leavitt's job has been to insist there are no problems, no leaks, and no costs that ordinary Americans should worry about.

March 24, 2025 — Signalgate. After The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he had been inadvertently added to a Signal group chat where senior officials including Hegseth, Vance, and Rubio discussed imminent military strikes, Leavitt told reporters: “No 'war plans' were discussed.” The Atlantic then published the entire chat transcript, which included specific aircraft, weapons systems, target locations, and launch times. (PolitiFact)
The Pentagon Inspector General contradicted Leavitt directly. The IG's December 2025 finding: Hegseth had used a Secret/NOFORN-marked document, shared sensitive plans with unauthorized people, and put U.S. troops at risk. Leavitt's claim that no war plans were discussed is, by the Pentagon's own findings, false. (CNN / PBS)
The 2025 Lie of the Year ballot. Hegseth's claim that “Nobody was texting war plans” — defended by Leavitt from the podium — appeared on the PolitiFact 2025 Lie of the Year shortlist. The full transcript Leavitt denied existed had been published months earlier. (PolitiFact)
The Iran war cost denial. When CBS News reported in late April 2026 on the war's $4.30 gas, $105 oil, and 3.3% inflation, the White House Press Office told CBS that “the American economy remains on a solid trajectory” and that the March CPI report showed “cooling core inflation and prices of beef, dairy, eggs, and prescription drugs actually declining thanks to the President's policies.” The CPI report shows the opposite. The press office's statement was issued under Leavitt's authority. (CBS News)
The Strait of Hormuz reversal. Trump told the country in a televised address that the U.S. “doesn't need” the Strait of Hormuz. Days later, when oil hit $105 because Hormuz was closed, Trump demanded Iran reopen it. Leavitt defended both positions in the same week, in the same press room, with no acknowledgement of the contradiction. (Al Jazeera / Daily Beast)
The Israel-Qatar denial. When Israel struck a target in Doha, Qatar in September 2025, Leavitt told the press the Trump administration had been “notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which — very unfortunately — was located in a section of Doha.” Asked whether Israel had told the U.S. in advance — whether Trump had known — she refused to answer. Her own statement implied advance knowledge. She would not confirm or deny. (The New Republic)

Sources: PolitiFact — "No War Plans" • CNN — IG Findings • CBS News — Iran War Costs • The New Republic

💯 The Receipts Roll Call: One Year of Documented Falsehoods

Beyond the major recurring narratives, Leavitt has compiled a year-long catalog of individually fact-checked false statements. Each of the following is on the public record, each was rated false by mainstream fact-checkers, each was delivered from the official podium of the United States government.

January 28, 2025 — the egg shortage lie. In her very first press briefing as Press Secretary, Leavitt blamed the U.S. egg shortage on “the Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture” for “directing the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens.” PolitiFact: FALSE. The chickens were culled to contain bird flu — a public health response, not a Biden policy. (PolitiFact)
January 29, 2025 — the federal funds freeze denial. When Trump's executive order freezing trillions in federal grants was rescinded, Leavitt insisted the order remained “in full force and effect.” The OMB memo had literally been rescinded in writing. The American Presidency Project documented this as “Another Day, More Lies.” (American Presidency Project)
January 28, 2025 — the “$50 million for condoms in Gaza” claim. Leavitt told the press DOGE and OMB found that $50 million in taxpayer money was “about to go out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.” PolitiFact: FALSE. The money in question was for global HIV prevention programs in multiple countries; the Gaza-specific figure was fabricated. (PolitiFact)
March 19, 2025 — corrected on her own podium. Leavitt was fact-checked in real time by a reporter after misstating the role of Judge James E. Boasberg in a deportation case. She did not acknowledge the correction. (YouTube clip / Wikipedia)
May 19, 2025 — the deficit lie. Leavitt declared Trump's tax-and-spending bill “does not add to the deficit.” PolitiFact: FALSE. CBO and every independent analysis projected the bill added trillions to the deficit. (PolitiFact)
October 2025 — calling Democrats “Hamas terrorists.” Leavitt told reporters the Democratic Party was made up of “Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called her a “stone-cold liar” in a press conference. (The Hill)
November 12, 2025 — the “ballroom is Trump's main priority” spin. Asked about the new $400 million ballroom amid the affordability crisis, Leavitt defended the project. Hakeem Jeffries' response that the ballroom was Trump's main priority instead of the cost-of-living crisis was rated FALSE by PolitiFact — making this rare territory: a fact-check of a Democrat that nonetheless illustrates how Leavitt's defenses on the same issue routinely depart from facts. (PolitiFact)
April 26, 2026 — the Correspondents' Dinner. Hours before a 31-year-old armed assailant attempted to storm the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Leavitt told Fox News that “there will be some shots fired tonight in the room” — referring to Trump's planned speech. Conspiracy theorists later cited the clip as “foreknowledge.” The phrasing was, at minimum, jarring. (PBS)
April 28, 2026 — blaming Democrats for the shooting. Two days after the assailant was tackled, Leavitt stood at the podium and blamed Democrats for “political violence” rhetoric — while saying nothing about Trump's own escalating language. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “The so-called White House press secretary, who's a disgrace, she's a stone-cold liar… She had the nerve to stand up there and read talking points being critical of statements all taken out of context that Democrats have made and didn't have a word to say about anything that MAGA extremists have said or done, including providing aid and comfort to violent insurrectionists here at this Capitol on Jan. 6th who brutally beat police officers.” (The Hill)
The pattern: 3+ PolitiFact fact-checks within first three months on the job. Jen Psaki had two in 16 months. Karine Jean-Pierre had four in her tenure. Leavitt blew past both totals before April 2025. (CNY Central)

Sources: PolitiFact — Full Leavitt Record • American Presidency Project • The Hill — Jeffries Quote • Wikipedia — Tenure Documentation

🗡️ The Hostility: How She Treats the People Who Ask Real Questions

The pattern is not just falsehoods. It's the contempt with which legitimate questions are received. Leavitt has, on the record, called credentialed journalists “biased,” “left-wing hacks,” and accused them of pushing “untrue narratives” — while simultaneously stocking the front rows with reporters from openly partisan outlets that ask softball questions.

The Renée Good incident. Asked by a reporter from The Hill about ICE killing Renée Good, an unarmed U.S. citizen in Minneapolis — an incident the reporter accurately described as the agent acting “recklessly” and “killing her unjustifiably” — Leavitt called the reporter a “biased” reporter and a “left-wing hack.” A U.S. citizen was killed. The Press Secretary attacked the reporter who asked about it. (Wikipedia)
The new media seat. Leavitt added a “new media” seat in the briefing room in January 2025 — called on first in every briefing — that was filled, by April 2025 NYT analysis, primarily by reporters from The Gateway Pundit, Real America's Voice, OAN, The Daily Signal, LindellTV, The Daily Wire, and Turning Point USA. She calls on perimeter reporters from these outlets approximately a quarter of the time, while skipping mainstream credentialed outlets. (Wikipedia / NYT)
The Associated Press lawsuit. Leavitt was named as a defendant in Associated Press v. Budowich (2025), a federal lawsuit after the White House barred AP reporters from press events because the AP refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” Per the lawsuit, Leavitt personally told AP chief White House correspondent Zeke Miller the organization would be barred from White House areas unless they used Trump's preferred term. (Wikipedia)
The Kaitlan Collins attack. December 11, 2025: when Collins followed up on inflation, Leavitt didn't respond to the question. She attacked Collins's predecessor: “My predecessor was standing at this podium, and she said inflation doesn't exist. She said the border was secure, and people like you just took her at her word, and those were two utter lies. Everything I'm telling you is the truth backed by real, factual data, and you just don't want to report on it because you want to push untrue narratives about the president.” Then: “I'm not going to take your follow-up.” (HuffPost)
The Maggie Haberman exchange. When the New York Times's Maggie Haberman asked Leavitt to explain her own contradictory claims about the Epstein files, Leavitt insisted she had “never said the Epstein documents were a hoax.” She had said exactly that the day before. In writing. Haberman didn't relent. Leavitt moved on. (The New Republic)

Sources: Wikipedia — Press Briefing Conduct • HuffPost — Collins Exchange • The New Republic — Haberman Exchange

The job of the White House Press Secretary, as defined by every previous Press Secretary in modern history, is to communicate the President's positions accurately to the American public. The position has been held by partisans of both parties. Mike McCurry under Clinton spun. Ari Fleischer under Bush spun. Jen Psaki under Biden spun. They all spun. None of them stood at the podium and told Americans that the prices they were paying for groceries weren't real, that the documents released by Congress and bearing the President's signature were forged, that documents the Pentagon's own Inspector General confirmed contained classified war plans contained no war plans, that tariffs — taxes paid by consumers — were tax cuts. Karoline Leavitt has done all of that. In one year. From the same podium where Sean Spicer once defended an obvious lie about inauguration crowd sizes and was ridiculed for it; where C.J. Cregg, the fictional Press Secretary on The West Wing, was written as the moral conscience of an administration. The position has been hollowed out and refilled with what The Conversation accurately called “Orwellian doublethink.” Hakeem Jeffries called her, twice on the public record, “a stone-cold liar.” The Guardian's Washington bureau chief called one of her central claims “fabulously audacious.” PolitiFact has rated her false more times in three months than her two predecessors combined in their entire careers. And she is paid by the American people. Every press conference, every televised appearance, every gaslighting performance about whether your grocery bill is real or imaginary — you pay for it. The minimum the public deserves from the person whose job is to tell us the truth is the truth. What we are getting instead is the Ministry of Plenty, in heels, on camera, every Tuesday and Thursday. Believing her requires either no contact with reality or a willingness to abandon it. Reporting on her requires the steady, patient, unrelenting work of fact-checking lies the moment they leave her mouth — the work outlets like PolitiFact, the AP, CNN, the New York Times, and the Guardian have been doing, and will keep doing, every day she remains at that podium.