Donald Trump is known for speaking his mind and often attacking critics, political opponents, and even people within his own administration. Still, many people were surprised when he publicly criticized his own communications team during a White House press briefing, a moment that also put Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in an uncomfortable position.
The briefing had been promoted ahead of time as something unusual. Karoline Leavitt had posted on social media that a “very special guest” would be joining her at the podium, but no one expected that guest to be Trump himself. When the 79-year-old president walked in, he was holding a booklet titled “Accomplishments.” He claimed the booklet was so full of achievements that it would take him more than a week to read. After saying the country was doing better than any other in the world, he dramatically threw the booklet onto the floor, where it landed with a loud thump.
The moment felt very on-brand for Trump. It was theatrical, attention-grabbing, and clearly meant to make a statement. As he continued speaking, his frustration became more obvious, especially when discussing the economy. He complained that in the past, good economic news would cause the stock market to rise sharply, but now, according to him, strong numbers sometimes lead to the market falling instead. At the same time, he insisted that under his leadership, the stock market and retirement accounts like 401Ks had reached historic highs.
Trump then talked about the state of the economy when he took office. He said his administration inherited high inflation and other negative figures and claimed they had successfully brought those numbers down. However, he seemed irritated that the public was not giving him enough credit for these changes. At that point, he suggested that the problem might not be his policies but how they were being communicated.
He openly questioned whether his public relations team was doing its job properly, saying that maybe they were failing to get his message across. This comment was widely seen as a criticism of his own staff, including Karoline Leavitt, who was sitting nearby as he spoke. The remark added to her challenges, especially since she had already faced backlash recently for controversial comments of her own.
Trump then shifted the focus to religion and morality. He said he believed God was proud of the work he had done as president, particularly when it came to protecting religious groups. He claimed his administration had helped keep Christians, Jewish people, and others safe in ways that no other president would have done.
When discussing immigration, Trump made a harsh comparison. He said that the immigrants his administration had deported were so dangerous that they made the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang look harmless by comparison. Almost immediately, he walked the comment back slightly by saying that he actually liked the Hell’s Angels, noting that many of them had voted for him and even helped protect him in the past.
The briefing lasted about an hour. Afterward, Trump left to prepare for a trip to Europe, where he planned to meet with international leaders to talk about issues such as Greenland, a proposed global peacekeeping effort, and other foreign policy matters. Members of his own party had urged him to speak more directly to voters about rising costs and affordability ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Trump explained that one reason he held the news conference was because he believed it was important to show the public how much progress he felt his administration had made. He said the country had been in bad shape before he took office and insisted that things were now much better, with even more improvements on the way.
Whether his communications team would be able to convince voters of that message remained an open question.
