During the Wednesday, March 5 White House Press Briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt utterly scorched a woke reporter who was pressing her on President Donald Trump’s attempts to slow the flow of fentanyl from America into Canada. Namely, when the reporter tried downplaying the fentanyl danger, Leavitt torched him for his comments on Trump’s policies.
As background, President Trump has been threatening Canadian goods with a 25% tariff unless the Canadians get their house in order and stop the flow of fentanyl into America. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has vacillated over how to respond, at some times seeming to agree to go along with it and at others vowing defiance.
President Trump, meanwhile, has been threatening Canada on Truth Social. On one post, for example, he said, “Canada doesn’t allow American Banks to do business in Canada, but their banks flood the American Market. Oh, that seems fair to me, doesn’t it?” In another, he wrote, “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”
In any case, Leavitt, during the press briefing, commented on the massive uptick in fentanyl seizures at the US-Canada border, telling reporters, “There’s been more than a 2,000 percent increase in illegal fentanyl seizure at the northern border. Why? Because Canada is allowing that fentanyl to come to the United States.”
Responding, after Leavitt pointed out how many overdoses there are, NBC News’s senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez tried downplaying the threat, saying, “But Karoline, respectfully, it’s just 43 pounds that were found last year—that’s less than a carry-on suitcase.” He added, “Is that a lot of fentanyl compared to, say, Mexico? The vast majority of the fentanyl is brought in through Mexico, not Canada. So what else does Canada need to do?”
Firing back, Leavitt said, “Well, I just told you, last year alone there was a 2,000 percent increase in illegal fentanyl—” Interrupting, Gutierrez again tried downplaying the matter, snapping, “But it’s only 43 pounds, Karoline—” Furious, she dressed him down in front of everyone and noted how disrespectful to the families of the deceased it is to downplay the devastation wrought by the drug.
Dressing him down powerfully to begin, Leavitt said, “You’re asking me for what the president’s justification is for these tariffs. It’s not up to you. You’re not the president, Gabe!” She then added “And frankly, I think it’s a little bit disrespect-ul [sic] to the families in this country that have lost loved ones at the hands of this deadly poison.” Watch her here:
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Trump has continued posting about the tariff and Canada matter on Truth Social. In a recent post, he said, “Canada is cheating the United States Farmers on USMCA. In 2024, Canada retained Tariffs on various U.S. Goods, particularly in protected sectors like Dairy that are operated under a supply management system. Some examples of Canadian Tariffs on U.S. Dairy outside of the limited quota include: Milk: Up to 243% Butter: Up to 298% Cheese: Up to 245% These sky high Tariffs are part of Canada’s unfair, long-standing policy to shield domestic producers from foreign competition, especially in Agriculture. Our Great U.S. Dairy Farmers deserve fair treatment from Canada. Enjoy it while you can!”
In another, he noted that Mexico has done what he asked and so won’t get tariffed, writing, “After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement. This Agreement is until April 2nd. I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum. Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl. Thank you to President Sheinbaum for your hard work and cooperation!”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video