‘The Audacity’: Karoline Leavitt Comes Unglued, Calls Democrats ‘Pedo Protectors’ With Zero Hesitation — Then Abruptly Walks Away as the Irony Sets the Internet on Fire
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt walked into the cameras like she had something to prove. What followed wasn’t just heated. It was the kind of moment that instantly sets the internet on fire. During an outdoor gaggle at the White House, Leavitt launched into a nearly two-minute rant defending the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the fatal ICE shooting of a Minneapolis mother — before abruptly walking away from reporters mid-exchange. US White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (C) walks to speak to the press outside the White House in Washington, DC, on January 12, 2026. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images) But not before crossing a line that sent shockwaves online. Asked whether President Donald Trump was satisfied with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handling of the case, Leavitt didn’t just defend the administration. She went on the attack. In a sweeping, emotionally charged response, she accused protesters and modern-day Democrats of wanting to protect “illegal aliens, pedophiles, rapists and murderers over law-abiding American citizens and our brave men and women who serve in law enforcement.” ‘This Is Insane’: Trump Thinks He’s Calling the Shots — Then His Guard Drops, He Lets Something Slip, and Suddenly Everyone Sees Who He’s Really Trying to Please Then she turned and walked off, cutting the briefing short. The remark immediately ignited backlash — not just for its tone, but for the irony many viewers felt Leavitt either ignored or didn’t seem to notice. “The audacity of this airhead to talk about "protecting pedophiles" while working for this admin,” one person fumed. "Did she actually say protecting pedophiles with a straight face?" another wrote. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2010781892799246734?s20 "Storms off like the petty child that she is," said one viewer on X. "Sue that b*tch from here to eternity!" another fumed. For many critics, Leavitt’s choice of words reopened long-running anger over Trump’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein — the convicted sex trafficker — and the president’s repeated appearances in Epstein-related files. https://twitter.com/RibGoneRogue/status/2010861186129203327?s20 The outrage only intensified as more context emerged about how Leavitt had been discussing the same case earlier in the day. The episode centered on the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis mother of three who was shot and killed last week by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Leavitt’s comments, delivered across multiple appearances, drew fierce backlash from viewers and social media users who accused her of misrepresenting video evidence, and displaying a stunning lack of empathy from the White House podium. Appearing on Fox News’ “America Reports,” Leavitt was asked by host John Roberts whether Trump believed Ross was justified in using deadly force. She responded without hesitation: “Absolutely,” before accusing Democrats and the media of “lying” about the incident “from the very beginning.” “At first, you heard Democrats, including the mayor of Minneapolis, saying that the car never struck the officer and the lethal force was unjustified,” Leavitt said. She then escalated, describing Good as “this deranged, lunatic woman” and claiming she had tried to run over the agent. Leavitt asserted that Good had used her car “as a weapon,” declaring that this “justifies domestic terrorism.” View on Threads Those claims quickly ran into contradictions. Eyewitness videos circulated shortly after the shooting do not suggest Good intended to harm officers. Video recorded by Ross himself shows Good appearing calm in the moments before she was shot, with her last audible words captured on tape: “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad at you.” Seconds after the shots were fired, an ICE agent—believed to be Ross—can be heard saying, “F--king b--ch.” Viewers reacted scathingly. “It's absolutely wild how she can lie with such conviction. We all saw what we saw," one observer wrote on Threads. Others criticized her conduct more broadly: “Very disrespectful of someone in her position to speak this way. It’s incredibly unprofessional as well.” View on Threads “The family needs to sue this administration, Fox News and all the other bullsh-t artists for slandering a murdered woman,” another said. One post directly flipped Leavitt’s language back on her. “And what is she! She’s the one who is the ‘deranged lunatic woman!’ Continually lying day in and day out! What kind of person does that? I’ll tell you what kind a ‘deranged lunatic woman!’ Another commenter questioned the need to attack Good’s character at all. “Believe she tried to ram the cop or don’t believe it, do they really need to discredit her like this? You can be on the side of the psychopath that killed her and justify her murder WITHOUT trying to shame the dead woman.” Good is survived by three children: a 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son from her first marriage, and a 6-year-old son from her second marriage, which ended with her husband’s death. Leavitt’s comments echoed rhetoric from the highest levels of the administration. Vice President JD Vance labeled Good a “domestic terrorist,” falsely claimed Ross had “absolute immunity,” and wrote on X that her death was “a tragedy of her own making.” Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, described Good as “very violent ... very radical person.”
