President Donald Trump is known for his rants and rhetoric, attacking almost anyone who opposes him or his administration. However, a recent development came as a shock to many when he publicly questioned his communications team, which uncomfortably cast a spotlight on Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The briefing had been announced as special. Karoline Leavitt had teased it on social media, posting on X that “a very special guest will be joining me at the podium today.” No one knew it would be Trump himself. When the 79-year-old commander-in-chief appeared, he was seen holding a booklet labeled “Accomplishments.”
The husband of Melania Trump claimed the booklet contained information that would take him over a week to read. “It’s big stuff, too. We have the hottest country in the world,” the POTUS stated before theatrically tossing it to the ground, where it hit with an audible thud.
President Trump appeared to take a swipe at Karoline Leavitt during an uncomfortable moment at a press briefing this week. https://t.co/EPUdshVDF5 pic.twitter.com/fUyiiFLQt2
— Irish Star US (@IrishStarUS) January 31, 2026
The gesture was classic Donald Trump—dramatic, dismissive, and designed to generate a reaction. But what came next was more revealing. As Donald Trump spoke about economic performance, his frustration began to show.
He pointed out that the stock market had historically responded to good economic numbers by rising sharply. Not anymore, he complained.
“In the old days, if you had good numbers, the market would go through the roof. Today we have good numbers, the market goes down,” Donald Trump said. “But by the way, we’ve had the best stock market in history, the best 401Ks in history.”
He then shifted to criticizing his inherited economic situation. “We inherited high numbers, and we brought them way down,” Donald Trump said, referring to inflation and other metrics. But then came the moment that raised eyebrows.
“I mean, I’m not getting—maybe I have bad public relations people, but we’re not getting it across,” Donald Trump remarked. “We inherited high numbers, and we brought them way down.”
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 31, 2026
It was a shot at his own team, and by extension, at Karoline Leavitt. The press secretary sat nearby as her boss essentially suggested his message wasn’t landing because his communications staff wasn’t doing the job.
For someone who had recently drawn criticism for calling a shooting victim a “deranged lunatic,” being thrown under the bus on live television was another difficult moment.
Donald Trump then pivoted to spiritual matters. “I think God is very proud of the job I’ve done, and that includes for religion,” he declared. “We’re protecting a lot of people that are being killed. Christians, Jewish people, lots of people are being safeguarded by me that wouldn’t be protected by another type of president.”
.@POTUS: “I have some incredible people, and this is a very exciting thing that we’re doing… it’s having to do with our great 250th birthday… We’re Celebrating Greatness with American Motor Racing… it’s going to take place August 21st through the 23rd.” pic.twitter.com/x4JceZ56PU
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 30, 2026
He also addressed his immigration policies, making a crude comparison. “The immigrants that we’ve deported make the Hell’s Angels look like the sweetest people on Earth,” Trump said. Then, seemingly catching himself, he added, “I like the Hell’s Angels. They voted for me. They protected me, actually.”
The briefing lasted roughly an hour before Trump left to prepare for a European summit. He was headed to meet with global leaders to discuss Greenland, a proposed international peacekeeping body, and other issues. Republican colleagues had encouraged him to address voter concerns about affordability ahead of the midterm elections.
“One of the reasons I’m doing this news conference, I think it’s important—we have taken a mess and made it really good,” Trump stated. “It’s going to get even better.”
Whether his PR people would have better luck selling that message remained unclear.
