President Trump Tells Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt She’s Doing ‘a Terrible Job’ in Awkward Moment

President Donald Trump put his own press secretary on the spot during a bizarre exchange in the Oval Office.

According to People in an April 1 report, the 79-year-old president questioned whether Karoline Leavitt, 28, could be behind the “bad publicity” he claims to receive.

“I got 93 percent bad publicity… maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know,” Trump said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, March 31.

He then turned directly to Leavitt, who is pregnant with her second child, and added, “You’re doing a terrible job.”

Moments later, Trump appeared to soften the remark, asking reporters, “Shall we keep her? I think we’ll keep her.”

A White House representative later indicated the comments were made in jest, per the outlet, though the exchange still raised eyebrows.

Trump continued to criticize the media broadly, claiming most coverage of him is negative and “fake,” while also pointing to his election victory as proof voters don’t believe it.

Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, has been a frequent topic of Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks. Back in October, Trump asked a pool of reporters, “How’s Karoline doing? Is she doing good? Should Karoline be replaced?”

After announcing she was expecting her second child, a baby girl, with husband Nicholas Riccio, 60, in a December 2025 Instagram post, Leavitt will temporarily step away from her podium to begin her maternity leave in May, per the outlet.