Trump showed ‘affected guilt’ as he praised Karoline Leavitt’s ‘machine gun’ lips, reveals expert

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is facing renewed criticism following an eyebrow-raising moment during a recent interview, in which he described White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s lips as a “machine gun,” prompting backlash over the tone and content of his comments.

The remarks sparked a wave of criticism across social media, with many users highlighting the inappropriateness of such language in a professional setting. 

Donald Trump lauds Karoline Leavitt’s loyalty, compares her speaking style to ‘machine gun’

“She’s become a star,” Donald Trump said, praising the 27-year-old communications chief. “It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun.”

He added, “She’s a great person, actually. I don’t think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline.” The president then pivoted to describe global warfare as “very beautiful,” in what many online described as a bizarre statement.

Karoline Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, made headlines earlier this year when she stepped up to the White House podium on January 28, becoming the youngest press secretary in US history. Previously, that title belonged to Ronald Ziegler, who served under Richard Nixon at age 29.

She succeeded Karine Jean-Pierre, who served under former President Joe Biden, and joins a long line of Trump-era spokespeople, including Kayleigh McEnany, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Sean Spicer.

Donald Trump’s body language suggested he knew his remarks on Karoline Leavitt’s looks might not sit well

Body language analyst Judi James weighed in on the optics of the moment, suggesting that while Donald Trump might have intended humor, the subtext came across as uncomfortable and inappropriate.

“‘Those lips’ is probably not an assessment Trump has ever made when discussing the merits of Vance or Hegseth, but it is the way he chooses to describe Leavitt when asked about her qualities as press secretary,” James noted. “The question sees Trump throw his eyes to a diagonal, downward position to suggest reflective thinking, although his raised brows suggest an intention to be humorous here.”

She added that Trump’s physical cues, including pursed lips and exposed lower teeth, indicated a mix of pride and defensiveness. “His lips purse with a display of his lower teeth as he describes her as a ‘star,’ although he seems to list her aesthetic qualities up there with her intellectual skills as he mentions her ‘face, brain...’ and ‘those lips.’”

James called this a display of “affected guilt,” signaling his awareness that the comment might not land well. “He seems to want to qualify the lips reference by making them sound like weaponry, comparing them to ‘a machine gun,’ and then we see a look of affected guilt as he asks ‘is she in the room,’ despite the fact that it is barely relative as he has made the comments about her lips direct to camera,” she concluded. 

Donald Trump sparks backlash over comment on press secretary's lips

President Donald Trump’s latest remarks about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have ignited widespread backlash, with critics slamming the comment as objectifying, creepy, and reflective of Trump’s broader treatment of women in public life.

Social media users were quick to condemn the remarks as demeaning and inappropriate.

“Trump is a pervert, sad to admit,” one user wrote bluntly. 

“No, Trump is not talking about his wife, he's talking about his Press Secretary,” another pointed out. “Ick.”

Several commenters raised broader concerns about Trump’s long-standing tendency to reduce women to their physical appearance.

“When Trump talks about women, it’s almost always about their looks or s*xuality,” one user noted. “Rarely their intellect or accomplishments. That pattern makes his disturbing connection with Epstein, and their shared obsession with young girls, all the more believable.”

“Why does everything he says sound so creepy? Because it is… lol,” another added.

Others took a more mocking tone, writing, “Bro said that like he's reviewing an NFT drop, not endorsing a press secretary. ‘It’s the metadata, it’s the rarity, it’s those… traits.’”

“He knows those lips are fake, right?” one user jabbed.

“Leavitt's lips should be attractive to Trump because when they’re moving, they’re usually lying for him,” another commenter posted.

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