White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is back from maternity leave and proved all those sleepless nights with a newborn (and a toddler!) haven't slowed her down one bit. During her first press conference back behind the podium in the briefing room, Leavitt handled a variety of questions on Iran, gas prices, and her experience as a new mom in a high-pressure job.
The briefing got off to a light-hearted start when Leavitt revealed that occupying one of the new media seats was English soccer fan Ben Black, who was curious to know what the White House wanted "all these football fans to take away from their time in America?" Leavitt responded, "I think the world saw that this President and this country is able to put on the greatest show in sports in the world, and we are a kind people."
Things soon turned a bit more serious as the media homed in on President Trump's Thursday night speech to the nation, which is expected to focus on election integrity. In her opening statement, Leavitt encouraged all Americans to tune in at 9 PM ET, calling it a "major address."
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in her first briefing since returning from maternity leave, teases President Trump's address this evening:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 16, 2026
"Tonight at 9PM ET, President Trump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections." pic.twitter.com/iQ21FXaLgu
When it came time to take questions from the non-soccer fans in the room, Leavitt was asked by NBC News' Garrett Haake why President Trump wasn't able to let go of the 2020 election. Well, she responded, it could be because millions of Americans are concerned about the safety and security of our elections.
.@PressSec fires back at reporter accusing Trump of being unable to let the 2020 election go 🔥
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 16, 2026
"First of all, Garrett, I think part of the problem is that the media has refused to acknowledge that tens of millions of Americans across the country share the concerns of this… pic.twitter.com/sXu50J4jlf
.@PressSec fires back at reporter accusing Trump of being unable to let the 2020 election go.
"First of all, Garrett, I think part of the problem is that the media has refused to acknowledge that tens of millions of Americans across the country share the concerns of this president about the sanctity of our elections [...]
We should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world. And what the president will be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that is not the case and we need to make some adjustments moving forward."
Several other media members who were called on also tried to bait Leavitt into giving away details about Trump's speech, hoping, apparently, to discover what kind of evidence he might have that proves previous elections weren't secure. She implored them to wait and see what the president has to say before jumping to conclusions.
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CNN's Kaitlan Collins decided that admonishment didn't apply to her, and asked in her dour, unapproving way why Trump hadn't yet referred anyone to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for prosecution.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins: "Regarding the president's speech tonight, he's been in office over 540 days now. If what he says tonight is backed up by evidence, why hasn't anyone been charged?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 16, 2026
Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt: "He hasn't revealed it yet. He hasn't declassified the… pic.twitter.com/VU6SocKWCl
CNN's Kaitlan Collins: "Regarding the president's speech tonight, he's been in office over 540 days now. If what he says tonight is backed up by evidence, why hasn't anyone been charged?"
Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt: "He hasn't revealed it yet. He hasn't declassified the documents yet and you will see what he says tonight and then we'll move forward appropriately from there."
When Collins asked if "we'd hear from the Justice Department tonight," Leavitt shut her down with a terse, "I don't speak for the Justice Department, Kaitlan, and you know that." Leavitt then moved on to the next question, leaving Collins looking, well, dour and unapproving.
While it was fun to have folks like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent step in for Karoline Leavitt while she spent quality time with her family, it's nice to see her back behind the podium putting TDS-addled "journos" like Kaitlan Collins in their place.
Welcome back, Karoline!
Be sure to stick with RedState for full coverage of President Trump's Thursday night speech.
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