White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt just can’t seem to help herself when it comes to truthfulness. Leavitt, trying to divert and distract, monumentally gaslit reporters once again over questions about the struggling U.S. economy and President Donald Trump’s remarkably tone-deaf respo nse to the affordability crisis. The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the White House press briefing room in Washington D.C, United States, on December 11, 2025. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images) CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins sparred with Leavitt during the daily press briefing on Thursday, Dec. 11, even fact-checking her at one point when Leavitt tried to deflect a question by whining about the press coverage of the economy during the Biden administration. And it didn’t take much to get Leavitt worked up at what turned into a rather chaotic press briefing as she danced and ducked around Collins’ very direct question on the economy. “If the economy is as strong as the President has said it is, then why is he telling parents two weeks before Christmas that they should only buy two or three dolls for their children?’ Collins asked. ‘This Is So Embarrassing’: Trump Goes After the Woman Who Calls Him ‘Obsessed’ — Until One Off-Script Moment Makes It Clear What He’s Really After She’s referring to a speech Trump made before Pennsylvania rallygoers on Tuesday, Dec. 9, when an out-of-touch president lectured the audience about their spending habits, telling them to cut back on luxuries like pencils and dolls. He was trying to convince Americans that the struggling economy and growing affordability crisis in the U.S. isn’t actually a problem, even though ongoing price increases for basic necessities such as food, housing and utility bills are pinching moderate- to low-income families. “The one thing you need, you need steel,” Trump stated nonsensically. “You know, you can give up certain products. You can give up pencils.” While Trump was serious, the audience laughed at him “You know, every child can get 37 pencils. They only need one or two. You know, they don’t need that many. But you always need, you always need steel,” Trump continued. But he wasn’t done telling voters how to spend their hard-earned cash. “You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice. You don’t need 37 dolls,” he emphasized before insisting that his economic policies are working. “So, we’re doing things right.” And angry and red-faced Leavitt tried to clean up Trump’s mess by claiming that he was really talking about manufacturing in the U.S. and then, of course, she blamed the Biden administration for the current state of the economy, falsely claiming that Trump brought inflation down. “Again, with respect to affordability, 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,” Leavitt said, unable to look Collins in the eye as she continued her gaslighting. “I will repeat inflation as measured by the overall CPI [consumer price index] has slowed to an average 2.5% pace. Real wages are increasing roughly $1,200 for the average worker,” Leavitt again falsely claimed. Collins tried to fact-check her at one point, but an infuriated Leavitt talked right over her and continued spewing misinformation. Leavitt got some worked up that she started twisting her neck and snapping her fingers, raising her voice as she compared herself to Biden’s White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. And when Collins tried to ask a follow-up question about another topic, Leavitt shut her down. “I am not taking your follow-up,” Leavitt said. The rate of inflation when Trump took office in January was 3 percent, according to CNN, and the consumer price index in September showed it was still at 3 percent, unchanged so far under Trump. So, both his and Leavitt’s assertions that “inflation has stopped “after he “inherited the worst inflation in the history of our country” are either total misinformation at best or flat-out lies at worst. Social media ripped into Leavitt for her blame-shifting and for trivializing a campaign promise Trump made to lower prices on the first day he took office. “So many words by Kkkaroline to not answer the question and gaslight the room. Obnoxious,” this disgusted Threads user stated. “Kkkaroline lies if she is talking,” another Threads user. “They can lie to your face, throw their scripted ‘facts’ at you, and expect you to believe it… but the reality doesn’t change. We don’t need polished talking points; we need honesty and real solutions,” another poster proclaimed. Another Threads user did not hold back: “Her lies will land her in a special slot in hell!” This isn’t the first time Leavitt has tangled with reporters while gaslighting them at the daily briefing. Late last month, she tried to pull the wool over CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes’ eyes during a grilling over Trump, saying several Democratic lawmakers should be executed. ‘Fabrication Barbie’: Karoline Leavitt Comes Undone on Camera, Head Whipping Side to Side as Reporter Fact-Checks Her Shaky Defense in Intense Faceoff ...read more read less