Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki used her Thursday MS NOW program to launch a blistering attack on outgoing Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt, accusing her of dodging difficult questions, misleading the public, and turning the briefing room into friendly territory.
The criticism came after President Donald Trump announced that Leavitt would leave the administration to prioritize her family.
Leavitt, the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary, has held the position since Trump returned to office last year.
Psaki argued that conflict between journalists and the White House is an essential part of the briefing room.
She insisted Leavitt had little interest in participating honestly when reporters challenged the administration.
“The relationship between the press and the White House is supposed to be adversarial by design,” Psaki said.
“But Karoline Leavitt didn’t want to engage in good faith with those reporters and their tough questions.”
Psaki claimed Leavitt transformed the briefing room into what she described as a personal safe space.
She also complained that Leavitt generally conducted briefings only once or twice each week, which Psaki portrayed as an effort to avoid scrutiny.
The former Biden spokeswoman also targeted Leavitt’s effort to expand access for new media organizations.
Psaki accused her Trump counterpart of filling the room with MAGA loyalists and friendly podcast hosts who were more likely to praise the president than challenge him.
Legacy media outlets have complained about the new media seat, particularly when its occupants have asked favorable questions.
Of course, those same institutions rarely showed such concern while Biden officials enjoyed years of remarkably gentle treatment from much of the Washington press corps.
The White House quickly rejected Psaki’s broadside.
Spokesman Davis Ingle responded with a reminder of the reputation Psaki developed while repeatedly promising reporters that she would return later with answers.
“Jen ‘Circle Back’ Psaki couldn’t hold a candle to Karoline Leavitt,” Ingle told Fox News Digital.
Psaki maintained that Leavitt’s approach carried consequences beyond frustrating reporters.
She argued that the briefing room is supposed to provide Americans with reliable information about what their government is doing.
“That room is supposed to be where the American people get answers about what their government is doing. And when an administration doesn’t take that responsibility seriously, the American people are the ones who pay the price,” she said.
Psaki then accused Leavitt of repeatedly lying and serving Trump rather than the public.
The charge was especially rich coming from a former spokeswoman for an administration known for scripted answers, carefully managed appearances, and persistent efforts to shield Biden from uncontrolled questioning.
“It’s been about telling the version of the truth according to the serial liar who sits in the Oval Office. Reporters in the room don’t matter. The American people who rely on the reporting from the reporters in the room [don’t] matter, she’s never seen her job as working for the American people as a public servant,” Psaki said.
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Tricia McLaughlin, who served as assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, strongly disagreed with Psaki’s portrayal.
She pointed to favorable assessments of Leavitt from organizations hardly known for giving Trump officials an easy ride.
“I’ve seen coverage from the New York Times to even Newsweek and CNN that was pretty glowing about Karoline’s professionalism, how quickly she would get back to reporters, how she was actually in the room and had the information firsthand, which is so important for a press secretary to understand the policies, understand the president, where he is on the issues, and then be able to communicate that back to those reporter,” McLaughlin said.
Several White House correspondents also praised Leavitt after her departure was announced.
One veteran reporter told Fox News Digital that Leavitt was easier to work with than the press secretaries who represented Biden.
“Karoline was the best press secretary I’ve ever worked with, and there have been many,” the reporter said.
“I think the reason she’s so effective is because she spent real time with Trump, as well as time understanding his policies and reasoning behind them.”
The reporter contrasted Leavitt with Biden press secretary Karine Jean Pierre, saying the former Biden spokeswoman neither spent comparable time with the president nor developed the same command of his policies.
The reporter also said Psaki treated journalists with disdain, while Leavitt understood how to work with them.
No replacement for Leavitt has been announced.
As the White House considers its next press secretary, Psaki’s attack appears unlikely to erase the positive reviews Leavitt received from reporters who actually dealt with her, no matter how loudly the former Biden spokeswoman circles back to partisan complaints.
