‘God Saved Trump for a Reason’: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Casts Democrats as ‘Evil Forces’ While Defending Policies That Left Thousands Dead, Critics Say
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, combative White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the country is engaged in a fight between good and evil, adding she believes God saved Donald Trump “for a reason.”
“I certainly believe in spiritual warfare,” she said. “And I think I saw it firsthand, especially throughout the campaign trail with President Trump. And I think there certainly were evil forces.”
Democrats, she implied, are on the wrong side of that battle. In the interview, Leavitt references what she calls the “resistance movement” in the judiciary branch, which has blocked several parts of the Trump agenda.
“Almost every single one of them is a registered Democrat, has been involved in Democrat campaigns or causes, have donated to Democrat candidates,” she said. “Some of them have even put their anti-Trump bias on social media. They have not been shy about their hatred for this president and his policies, and they are abusing their judicial power.”
Some have questioned if Leavitt has, in fact, aligned with the good guys, pointing to some of her bosses’ more extreme policy measures, such as gutting federal aid programs like Pepfar, which paid for HIV treatment in some of the most impoverished regions of the world. Researchers estimate that more than 26,000 adults and nearly 3,000 children have died as a result of Pepfar’s suspension on Jan. 24, with more occurring every few minutes.
Leavitt is a devout Catholic, a faith that adheres strictly to the biblical commands on immigration, such as Leviticus 19:34, which reads, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
That would seem to contradict the administration’s aggressive deportation program, which has remanded migrants, not all of whom are violent gang members, to notoriously brutal prisons in places like El Salvador without due process or assurances of their safety.
But Leavitt told CBN she believes God had a hand in her becoming White House press secretary.
“Well, certainly, God has a plan for everyone. I believe that firmly,” said Leavitt, who lost a bid for Congress in 2022. “So God knew what He was doing, I believe, and you just have to trust the process and trust that he’s working in your life and stay grounded in your faith throughout the way.”
Leavitt said she was shaped by her faith, instilled in her by her working-class parents and Catholic school education.
“My faith is incredibly important to me, I would argue, now more than ever, being in a role that is very demanding and at times controversial, and there’s a lot of public pressure and discussion online about who you are and your family,” she said. “And you know, it could be difficult for someone who doesn’t have faith but with faith, all things are possible.”
Though only 27 years old, Leavitt has shown confidence, sometimes bordering on condescension, in her dealings with seasoned Washington, D.C., journalists and politicos.
She memorably sparred with an AP reporter who called her out for claiming tariffs (taxes on imports) were actually tax cuts. After she was called out for the error by the reporter, Leavitt insulted him, indignant that he had questioned her knowledge of tariffs.
She was also roundly criticized for telling France it should be “very grateful” to the United States that it isn’t speaking German right now following tongue-in-cheek comments by a French politician demanding the return of the Statue of Liberty.
“Such a shocking, insulting statement about an ally from anyone, let alone a senior White House official,” former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul posted on X. “Who told her to say this? She obviously got in from somewhere. Im hope our @PressSec knows that it’s only because of the French that we have an independent United States of America.”
Leavitt brushes off the critics, saying she hopes to seen as “a hard worker who wants to get the job done and a good mother, and good at my job.”
But she is dismissive of most of the journalists with whom she interacts.
“I think there are true journalists out there that still exist,” she told CBN. “They are few and far between. I think many people in the briefing room here are trying out for their next big show…so I think the media has had to take a look in the mirror, especially after President Trump’s resounding victory on November 5th, and the American public sent a very strong message to the anti-Trump media that we don’t listen to you.”
Leavitt’s confrontational style has made her a favorite with Trump’s MAGA base.
“She’s 27, fearless, energized—and running circles around every legacy reporter in the room,” wrote one fan, posting on X. “Karoline Leavitt is the nightmare the left didn’t see coming.”
But not everyone sees her in a glowing light, especially those who reside on the political left.
“Like spokespeople for all fascist authoritarian regimes, Karoline Leavitt’s job is to cover up the crimes of her Dear Leader by habitually lying,” countered a progressive influencer.