President Donald Trump has once again made an insider circus. Trump headed away from geopolitics to what seems to be his most recent obsession while coming back by plane from Israel after settling on a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages: his 28-year-old press secretary, Karoline Leavitt…and her lips.
After asking reporters on Air Force One how Leavitt had been doing, the president himself quips, “Should Karoline be replaced?” and then he replies to himself after reporters seem confused by what he even wants to hear.
Donald Trump then said:
“It’ll never happen. That face (…) those lips, they move like a machine gun, right?”
Leavitt, who was reportedly on the plane at the time, honored Trump as the “Hardest working POTUS ever” in a photo that she shared on X (formerly Twitter). Perhaps to avoid media attention, the White House is staying away from saying anything. If all of this sounds familiar, let us remind you that Donald Trump said almost the same thing to Newsmax host Rob Finnerty in August:
“It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun.”
He referred to Karoline Leavitt as “a star” and the best press secretary anyone’s ever had in the same sentence. Crossing the limits between flattery, fascination, and performance is a hallmark of Donald Trump, as people may note. His long-standing knack to combine talent and physical appearance, especially when talking about women on his team, hasn’t changed all that much over the years. Leavitt still seems unbothered. She stood by Trump during his legal troubles, campaign, and now on Air Force One!
Trump on Karoline Leavitt: She’s become a star. It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips. The way they move. pic.twitter.com/w1IpjKKcD7
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 2, 2025
Karoline Leavitt‘s story is a Trump-era fairy tale with a MAGA twist, for those who haven’t kept up with her meteoric rise. She was born in New Hampshire and began working for Trump’s White House at the age of 22 as Kayleigh McEnany’s assistant press secretary. She became the communications director for Rep. Elise Stefanik after Donald Trump left office, and in 2022, she chose to run for Congress herself. Even losing that race, she gained fame as one of the GOP’s youngest and most openly pro-Trump candidates.
Leavitt joined Trump’s political super PAC after the election and went on to take over as his national press secretary in 2024. She is the youngest press secretary in American history when President Trump rewarded her loyalty by giving her the top title
Leavitt upended the media power structure when she took over the Brady Briefing Room. She was at odds with organizations like CNN, refused access to the traditional press, and created controversy by denying facts in early briefings. However, she has become a conservative favorite due to her likability and love for Trump.
She also managed to balance work and motherhood earlier this year, as a picture that went viral showed her typing in the West Wing while feeding her son. Leavitt, who is married to real estate developer Nicholas Riccio (who is 32 years her senior), has become an outlet for critics as well as a symbol of the new right’s excitement.
Donald Trump’s remarks may seem strange to you, but they expose a pattern that anyone who has watched the Trump White House is familiar with: loyalty is recognized with lavish (if not eyebrow-raising) praise.
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