White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt opened her morning TV tour by scolding her own party, warning Republicans that they are not praising President Trump nearly loudly enough.
βAs President Trump has been screaming from the rooftops, Republicans need to remain tough, and smart, and they need to be more vocal about telling the accomplishment of this administration,β she said on Fox & Friends. The line landed as both a push to party loyalists and a signal to the campaign teams that the White House wants a single tidy story.
Karoline Leavitt lies with impunity on Fox & Friends: “Don’t forget — a year ago, President Trump inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history from the Biden administration.” pic.twitter.com/dBUFjhk5eU
β Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 9, 2025
She doubled down on the numbers that the White House hopes will sell that story. βAgain, inflation has slowed because of President Trumpβs economic policies,β she said. βWe see wages for the first time in five years are increasing by about $1,000 per the average American worker.β Those claims are the backbone of the message the administration wants repeated.
But the plain data give a more mixed picture. The Consumer Price Index rose year on year in recent reports leaving many families still feeling strain at the grocery counter and at the pump. That means while inflation has eased from its hottest months, prices are not back to where people want them to be.
source: tradingeconomics.com
At the same time growth has slowed. Major economic outlooks show gross domestic product expanding at a weaker pace than last year and forecast further slowing as trade moves and policy choices take effect. Slower growth makes it harder for any team to claim a clear victory on the economy.
The job market also offers mixed signals. Payroll growth has softened and the unemployment rate sits higher than the boom months that followed the pandemic. Those shifts make the wage story harder to sell to voters who feel pay is not keeping up with the cost of living.
Trade battles have added another layer. The administration unveiled a $12 billion support plan for farmers after trade disruptions cut into export demand and farm income. The aid underlines how policy choices can create both winners and losers in the short term.
Reporters and fact checkers picked apart some of the claims. Leavitt said China had not been buying US soybeans under the prior administration and is now buying them under this one. Multiple outlets noted that trade flows are complex and that the statement does not match the record. That matters because simple claims can backfire if they fail a quick check.
Public mood is part of why the White House is pushing so hard. Polls show many voters rank affordability as a top issue and say they feel worse off than before. That worry is reflected in several national trackers where Democrats hold leads that make Republican strategists nervous.
Karoline Leavitt is lying outright. Trump is the current president, he didnβt inherit anything from Biden. This administration keeps blaming the former president for problems they themselves are creating right now.
β Theophilus M (@theophilus367) December 9, 2025
Being able to lie this shamelessly while smiling like that on camera is remarkable.
β ππ‘π’ππ’ (@ChidiNwatu) December 9, 2025
The propaganda secretary of the United States.
β guyfelicellaπ¨π¦π (@guyfelicella) December 9, 2025
π¨FALSE!!! Karoline Leavitt says Trump convinced China to buy soybeans and they didnβt when Biden was president:
FACT: They bought 18+ MILLION TONS of soybeans in 2023 and 2024 under Biden. Under Trump, theyβve barely bought TWO TONS!
TURN HER MIC OFF!
β CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) December 9, 2025
Inside the party reactions are split. Some aides say Leavitt is doing the job of setting a clear line for surrogates to repeat. Others worry the push for louder praise will sound like spin while families wrestle with rising bills. The split shows how hard it is to turn sound bites into voter confidence.
Featured image via X screengrab
