Karoline Leavitt was on fire Thursday.
She first faced CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who tried to challenge her on the economy. Leavitt praised Trump for getting the country “out of the economic hole that the previous administration put us in.” Collins jumped in with the usual grocery-price argument: “That’s not where it was a year ago, as you know, and grocery prices have been up. So we’ve covered the economy, but, uh, there’s mixed signals in terms of what that looks like.”
Leavitt was ready. “Inflation is down from where it was,” she said, before delivering a fact-heavy breakdown: “As measured by the overall CPI, it has slowed to an average 2.5% pace. It’s not where it was at a high of 9%. This is down from what the president inherited in 2… The president inherited 2.9% in January, today it’s at about 2.5%, so we’re trending in the right direction with more to come.” She added the knockout: “And I would remind you, when President Trump left office in his first term, inflation was 1.7%, and the previous administration jacked it up to a record high 9%.”
She stressed how quickly the economy has shifted under the new administration: “So again, in 10 months, the president has clawed us out of this hole, he’s kept it low at 2.5%, and we believe that number is going to continue to decline, especially as energy and oil prices continue to decline as well.” Then she called out the media for ignoring inflation under Biden: “My predecessor was standing at this podium, but now you wanna ask me a lot of questions about it, which I’m happy to answer, but I will just add, there’s a lot more scrutiny on this issue from this press corps than there was…”
Collins pushed back: “Because the president says it’s nonexistent.”
Leavitt delivered the perfect retort: “Well, the previous administration said that too.” She drove the point home: “My predecessor stood up 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 that, 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.”
🔥POW POW — @PressSec ROCKS Kaitlan Collins for FAILING to grill Biden’s Press Secretaries about his failed economy.
“NOBODY reported [inflation] being high under Biden…My predecessor stood up at this podium and said inflation doesn’t exist! She said the border was secure!… pic.twitter.com/MQAAcAalJE
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 11, 2025
Leavitt didn’t stop there. When ABC’s Mary Bruce tried to corner her on Obamacare subsidies—“It now seems all but certain that the Obamacare subsidies will expire at the end of the year…more than 20 million Americans are now bracing for their healthcare costs to soar. Is the president prepared to let this happen, or is he going to step in?”—Leavitt stayed calm.
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“The president is prepared to take action on healthcare, and he wants Republicans on the Hill to do the same,” she said. Then she went on the attack: “As you have seen, Senate Republicans put forth their own legislation earlier this week. As for the subsidies that are set to expire, I would like to remind you and everybody at home why this is on the brink of happening. Democrats wrote Obamacare. They passed it without a single Republican vote, and then they ballooned it with these expensive COVID subsidies that completely distorted the health insurance market. Then they doubled down, extending those subsidies and setting their own expiration date right now in 2025.”
Bruce pressed for specifics on Trump’s next steps. Leavitt redirected to his accomplishments: “He has made unprecedented progress towards lowering healthcare costs in this country and drug prices. He’s secured numerous most-favored-nation drug price deals with many more to come.” Then she reminded viewers of Trump’s broader reforms: “As you know, the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cut, significantly expanded access to health savings accounts for those on Obamacare — again, a Democrat-written program and approved program — which has led to higher healthcare costs.”
🚨@PressSec has to remind the fake news WHY ObamaCare subsidies are expiring:
DEMS wrote ObamaCare
DEMS passed it without a single GOP vote
DEMS ballooned it with EXPENSIVE Covid subsidies
DEMS DISTORTED health insurance markets
DEMS doubled down & set an expiration date for ’25… pic.twitter.com/OlFJlyXyeC— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 11, 2025
Leavitt didn’t just answer questions—she schooled the press, hit media narratives with facts, and defended the administration with precision and force. It’s so nice to have someone honest and competent behind the podium again.
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