White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shot back at a reporter after he made “frankly ridiculous” claims that President Trump is using his office for financial gain, responding to the reporter with a noteworthy display of loyalty to the Trump Administration, which Leavitt said has made ethics a top priority.
For context, in a White House press briefing on May 9, 2025, Leavitt provided background on the president’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates starting on Monday May 12, which led a reporter to ask if President Trump was planning to meet with anyone involved in his businesses or make any commercial visits during the trip, a question that Leavitt made clear was out of line.
During the press briefing, Leavitt explained that the primary goal of the trip was “to emphasize [President Trump’s] vision for a proud, prosperous, and successful Middle East, where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationships, and where extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges.” She continued, “This trip ultimately highlights how we stand on the brink of the golden age for both America and the Middle East — united by a shared vision of stability, opportunity, and mutual respect.”
Later in the briefing, when Leavitt was asked whether members of President Trump’s family would be joining him on his Middle East visit, she replied, “I am not tracking family members joining us at this time, but of course, the First Family is welcome to come.” She continued, “I hope they would, they are great people, great to be around.”
Next, a reporter asked whether President Trump’s visit had anything to do with his personal business pursuits, to which the press secretary replied, “Not to my knowledge, and let me just get to the premise of your question that both of you have raised.” Leavitt added, “I think it’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit.”
Continuing to defend the president, Leavitt added, “He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service, not just once, but twice.” She continued, “The American public re-elected him back to this White House because they trust he acts in the best interest of our country and putting the American public first.”
Without missing a beat, Leavitt doubled down, pointing out the hypocrisy of calling out President Trump, saying, “This is a president who has actually lost money from being president of the United States.” She went on to say, “I don’t remember these same types of questions being asked of my predecessor, of a career politician who was clearly profiting off his office. That is not what President Trump does, and this White House holds ourselves to the highest ethical standards.”
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Furthermore, regarding the purpose of President Trump’s visit to the Middle East, White Houes Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told the New York Post on April 29, “It’s almost entirely about business deals and investment in the United States by all three countries,” making it clear that the president is not pursuing personal financial gain. Wiles added, “It’s across-the-board investments, and they’re very substantial.”
Watch Leavitt’s response:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video