Karoline Leavitt fires back at 'bitter' Karine Jean-Pierre after being labeled 'deplorable'

Karoline Leavitt accused Karoline Jean-Pierre of lying to the press daily and working for what Leavitt described as the 'most incompetent president'
PUBLISHED OCT 22, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Karoline Jean-Pierre’s bitterness was unsurprising but would not help sell her book (Getty Images, @ericdaugherty/X)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Karoline Jean-Pierre’s bitterness was unsurprising but would not help sell her book (Getty Images, @ericdaugherty/X)


WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt aggressively fired back at former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a heated on-air confrontation. 

Leavitt labeled Jean-Pierre "bitter" after Jean-Pierre called her "deplorable" for claiming that Democrats’ main constituency includes terrorists and criminals.

Jean-Pierre also condemned Leavitt’s disrespectful "your mom" joke in response to a journalist’s question, emphasizing that the White House press secretary role requires respect for the press.

Karoline Leavitt responds to Karine Jean Pierre's comments

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt talked about President Donald Trump attending this week's NATO meetings in Brussels, the U.S. bombing of Iran and other topics. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 26, 2025 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Leavitt spoke with Jesse Watters on Fox when she was asked to respond to Karine Jean-Pierre’s recent comment.

Without hesitation, Leavitt launched into a 90-second critique of Jean-Pierre’s character and her role in the Biden White House.

“With all due respect to my predecessor, she is one of the main culprits of the greatest cover-up and scandals in American history,” Leavitt began. “She took the podium every day and lied to the press about the incompetence of her boss. And on this book tour, she continues to lie.” 

Leavitt accused Biden’s staff of gaslighting the press and the public by insisting he was “mentally stable and up for the job,” despite private concerns about his health and capacity.

“I'm very proud to work for the greatest president in history. I know Karine unfortunately worked for the most incompetent president in history,” Leavitt added. “So I guess she has a reason to be bitter. But being bitter will not sell your books.” 

Jean-Pierre, in her book, insists she never saw any cognitive decline in Biden while working closely with him in the White House. She wrote, "I was technically a part of the president's inner circle and saw Biden every day and saw no such decline."

President Joe Biden, accompanied by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, jokes about taking so many questions during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 04, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden made a surprise appearance, his first in the briefing room since becoming president, to tout a positive job report and take questions from reporters. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Former President Joe Biden, accompanied by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, jokes about taking so many questions during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 04, 2024 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

What happened between Karoline Leavitt and Karine Jean-Pierre?

While promoting her book this week, Jean-Pierre told the panel on 'The View' that Leavitt was “deplorable” after Leavitt claimed the Democratic Party’s main supporters include Hamas terrorists, illegal immigrants, and violent criminals.

To provide context, Leavitt lashed out at Democrats during an interview with Fox News Digital, "The Democrat Party’s elected officials absolutely cater to pro-Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”



Jean-Pierre said, “I do want to say something to the first clip that you all just showed, which is hearing that, it's deplorable. I'm using that word on purpose. Because they don't seem to understand, this is the Trump White House, that they don't work for just one man. They work for the American people.”

She also criticized Leavitt for a recent exchange with a HuffPost journalist who had texted Leavitt seeking comment on a story. Instead of responding seriously, Leavitt replied with a “your mom” joke, which later circulated on X.

Jean-Pierre emphasized, “The White House press secretary is not about doing online trolling. It is not. It is an honor and a privilege to have that job and to speak on behalf of the most powerful person in the world. And there is a level of respect for the freedom of the press, even if you disagree with them.”

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