Karoline Leavitt is developing a reputation in the White House briefing room — and it’s not for calm restraint. During a tense press briefing on Thursday, the White House press secretary erupted at a reporter who questioned the administration’s defense of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, according to The National Desk.
The exchange began after Niall Stanage, a columnist for The Hill, cited the killing of Good and the deaths of 32 people in ICE custody last year while questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s claim that the agency was “doing everything correctly.”
Leavitt turned the question back on him. “Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?” she asked.
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. KAROLINE LEAVITT UNLEASHED!
“REPORTER”: The ICE agent k*lled her recklessly and unjustifiably!
LEAVITT: “You’re a left-wing HACK, you’re not a REPORTER!” 🔥
“You shouldn’t even be sitting in that SEAT! You’re pretending like you’re a journalist, but you’re a… pic.twitter.com/6LgxxtfVcd
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2026
When Stanage replied, “Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably,” Leavitt’s tone shifted instantly.
“You’re a left-wing hack,” she snapped. “You’re not a reporter. You’re posing in this room as a journalist… you shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat.”
She accused him — and other journalists — of pretending to be neutral while acting as activists. “You and the people of the media who have such biases but fake like you’re a journalist,” Leavitt continued, “you shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat.”
The moment quickly went viral, adding to a growing list of confrontational exchanges between Leavitt and reporters since she took over the podium.
🚨ALARM: Karoline Leavitt lays groundwork for Trump invoking the INSURRECTION ACT ahead of the midterms.
“The Insurrection Act is a tool at the president’s disposal. Democrats are deranged in their hatred for President Trump.”
This is the exact scenario people warned about. pic.twitter.com/kFQk2eR7YL
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) January 15, 2026
As Deadline noted, the briefing room has increasingly been filled with friendly, right-wing outlets during Trump’s second term, often asking softball questions. Stanage, a British journalist, stood out — and Leavitt made that clear.
She challenged him to focus instead on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
“I bet you didn’t even read about Laken Riley or Jocelyn Nungaray or all of the innocent Americans who were killed at the hand of illegal aliens,” she said. “Shame on people like you in the media who have a crooked view and pretend like you’re a real, honest journalist.”
At one point, Leavitt held up mugshots of individuals ICE recently arrested in Minnesota, accusing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of encouraging harassment of federal agents.
This is “partisan hack” @NiallStanage from “The Hill” who got lit up at today’s White House briefing by Karoline Leavitt.
Here’s how biased he is – “People should come out to protest an ICE agent shooting a woman in the head, rather than being docile or acquiescent about it.” pic.twitter.com/PoawpqeV3E
— Gays For Trump (@GaysForTrump) January 15, 2026
“This is all ICE is trying to do,” she said, gesturing at the photos. “They are trying to remove people like this from Governor Walz’s state.”
The briefing came amid growing unrest in Minnesota following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good during a federal immigration raid. ICE has said the agent involved, Jonathan Ross, fired after Good allegedly tried to ram officers with her SUV, a claim Reuters has said it could not independently verify.
Leavitt also defended a separate incident in which an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan man during an arrest.
“This ICE agent was executing a targeted operation against a Venezuelan illegal alien,” she said. “Three more of his comrades came rushing out of a house… they used a shovel or a broom to smash his face in.”
YESTERDAY: Trump: “When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
Media just now: “The president finds the idea of canceling elections funny?”
Karoline Leavitt: “Only someone like you would take that so seriously.”
The appropriate answer is “The president should… pic.twitter.com/u1xmctTzve
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 15, 2026
Meanwhile, Leavitt broadened her attacks beyond Stanage.
According to Deadline, she criticized CNN for a chyron reading, “Protests erupt after federal agent shoots man in Minneapolis,” saying it was “not the truth” because the agent acted in self-defense. She also dismissed questions from The Independent about President Trump joking about canceling elections, brushing off concerns by saying, “Only someone like you would take that so seriously.”
Veteran White House reporters have privately expressed unease over the tone inside the briefing room, where interruptions, jeers, and overt political cheering have become more common. As immigration protests spread and scrutiny of ICE intensifies, the press secretary has made clear she sees the briefing room not as neutral ground, but as another front in the fight.
