White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt walked into the briefing room on Monday ready to take names, and the New York Times ended up squarely in her sights. After a weekend defined by yet another flimsy hit piece targeting President Trump, Leavitt delivered a reminder of why legacy media outlets dread these briefings — especially after four years of their humble servitude to the Biden administration.
Last week, the New York Times published an article designed with one single purpose: to make Donald Trump the next Joe Biden. Leavitt exposed their double standards without breaking a sweat.
Before Monday’s briefing wrapped up, Leavitt called out the Times article and the reporter who wrote it specifically. “I will point out one fake news story over the weekend before I let you all go, from the New York Times, that took about one-third of the president’s daily calendar and his daily schedule and said that he’s doing less than he did in his first term, or he might not be fit for the job.”
She told the room that the claim was “unequivocally false,” then dismantled it further. She pointed out that the hit piece came from “the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote this: ‘Biden is doing 100% fine after tripping while boarding Air Force One.’”
This was the same reporter who once insisted Biden’s stair fall was just a brief stumble caused by wind, never questioning his physical health or stamina, while now suggesting Trump lacks the stamina for the presidency. Leavitt turned the contrast between the two presidents into a weapon and wielded it fiercely.
ICYMI: Bill Maher Won’t Take Cheap Shots at Trump Anymore. Here’s Why.
“Oh, same outlet, same reporter who wrote that President Trump is not fit for the job,” she said, incredulous. “Are you kidding me?” Leavitt then reminded every journalist present that they see Trump up close every day. They see him energetic and engaged, answering questions the way Biden never did. Leavitt described him as “the most accessible president in history,” a president “taking meetings around the clock.”
Leavitt then dug up another Biden-era headline from that same reporter: “Biden declared ‘healthy and vigorous’ after his first presidential physical.”
“Hmm, I don’t see headlines like that too often about this president.” She didn’t need to spell out the reason; anyone who followed Biden’s presidency remembers a press corps desperate to prop up an obviously fading commander-in-chief. That desperation produced headlines filled with praise for Biden’s “vigor” even as he shuffled through events and forgot basic facts. Meanwhile, the left media ambush Trump almost daily with invented health scares because they cannot cope with a president who refuses to fit their caricature.
Leavitt returned to the weekend smear. She reminded the press that the same reporter pushing the “unfit” narrative is the one who “wrote falsely over the weekend that President Trump is not fit for the job. I can assure you, he absolutely is.”
No hesitation. No caveats. Just a clear statement of fact.
She pointed out that the press doesn’t need a memo to recognize the truth. “You all see that with your own eyes on a daily basis.” And to settle the question once and for all, she noted that Trump’s physician has already issued three detailed reports on the president’s health.
🚨@PressSec HUMILIATES NYT Reporter Katie Rogers for LYING to the American people.
NYT wrote POTUS ‘Might not be fit for the job.’
“That is UNEQUIVOCALLY FALSE & written by the SAME outlet, SAME reporter who wrote ‘Biden is doing just fine after tripping…”
“Are you KIDDING?” pic.twitter.com/xqOD3pPZD5
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 1, 2025
The attempt to transform Trump into the next Joe Biden is not only laughable but also pathetic. The Biden White House spent four years insisting we weren’t seeing what we were really seeing. Today, the Trump White House urges us to trust our own eyes — a significant and telling shift.
Don’t let media gatekeepers control what you know. PJ Media VIP members get exclusive access to the stories they don’t want you to see, plus ad-free browsing and special member benefits. Use code FIGHT for 60% off and help us keep delivering the unvarnished truth.
