White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got into a fiery exchange with a reporter later labeled a ‘fake news loser’ as he posed questions over DOGE’s approach to slashing government funding.
Leavitt, 27, clashed with NBC News reporter Peter Alexander outside the White House on Friday, as he took issue with Elon Musk’s ‘sloppy’ cost cutting measures.
‘We’re now hearing from constituents in some traditionally red districts right now complaining about what they say is the ‘chainsaw approach’, and are saying it’s been done very sloppily, the cuts to jobs and spending,’ Alexander said.
‘How do you respond to that criticism?’
Leavitt responded: ‘I love how the media takes a few critics, when the overwhelming response from the American people is support for what this administration is doing.
‘If you look at the public polling, 70 percent of Americans, according to CBS, believe that President Trump is delivering on the promises he made.’
As Alexander attempted to chime in, Leavitt spoke over him as she continued: ‘There should be no secret about the fact that this administration is committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse.
‘The president campaigned on that promise, Americans elected him on that promise, and he’s actually delivering on it.’
Their interaction was promptly shared by the White House’s ‘rapid response’ X account, which branded Alexander a ‘Fake News loser.’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt got into a fiery exchange with reporters questioning DOGE’s ‘chainsaw approach’ to slashing government funding on Friday
Leavitt particularly clashed with NBC News reporter Peter Alexander outside the White House on Friday, as he took issue with Elon Musk ‘s ‘sloppy’ cost cutting measures
Leavitt pointed to past remarks from Democrats including Barack Obama and Bill Clinton bemoaning government waste that have gone viral in recent weeks as she argued that DOGE’s cuts were the fulfillment of long-standing promises in Washington.
‘This is something that Democrats promised they would do for decades, President Trump is just the first president to get it done,’ she said.
Alexander added with another question: ‘Let me ask you about the fraud if I can.
‘We can all have our own opinion about what is wasteful spending, and Republicans have praised the president for cutting ‘wasteful’ spending, but fraud of course is a crime.
‘So, have you turned over evidence of fraud to the Justice Department, and when should we expect to see those indictments?’
Leavitt responded that Alexander asked a ‘clever question’, as she continued: ‘I think all Americans can agree that funding mastectomies in Mozambique is not something that the American people should be funding.’
Asked if that constituted ‘fraud’, Leavitt said: ‘I think it’s fraudulent that the American government has been ripping off taxpayers in this way.’
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claims to have saved $55 billion in government spending in the early months of Trump’s second presidency
Musk’s DOGE has sharply divided opinions in Washington, with some saying his widespread cuts have recklessly halted important work while others say much of the cut funding was wasteful and fraudulent
Leavitt then claimed that a report from the Social Security Administration found there was $71 billion-worth of fraud ‘in one single fiscal year’, to which Alexander corrected her by saying that was the total from 2015 to 2022 and not in one year.
‘That is a lot of fraud Peter,’ Leavitt fired back.
‘So, are you defending $71 billion of fraud Peter? That is a lot of money, far too much… why is the media so against cutting waste, fraud and abuse?
‘I don’t get it – we won’t be deterred by people like you.’
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sharply divided opinions in Washington in the early months of Trump’s second presidency.
While some have fumed over some cuts, including firing a number of Department of Energy workers that oversee America’s nuclear arsenal, which Trump quickly reversed, MAGA Republicans say other funding was a huge waste.
In one of the most shocking announcements, DOGE said last week that it has cut at least $1.9 billion of misplaced funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and said that former President Joe Biden’s administration was to blame.
‘These funds were earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed,’ DOGE wrote in a post to X, adding that the funds were lost in the first place due to a ‘broken process.’
‘The funds are now available for other use by the Treasury,’ the department said.
Amid the slew of cuts to other agencies, Musk said he would ‘check with (Trump)’ about an idea that would sent a ‘DOGE dividend’ of $5,000 to every American taxpayer, a slice of the $55 billion he claims to have saved so far
Amid the slew of cuts to other agencies, Musk floated an idea that would sent a ‘DOGE dividend’ of $5,000 to every American taxpayer, a slice of the $55 billion he claims to have saved so far.
DOGE claims the savings were found through a combination of detecting and deleting fraud, canceling contracts and leases, and selling assets.
The savings were mostly made in the US Agency For International Development (USAID), the Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Agriculture.
After investment firm CEO James Fishback said sending cash to taxpayers would show off the savings, Musk replied to say that he ‘will check with the President.’
