Karoline Leavitt didn’t get a formal sit-down, a public rollout, or even much buildup before landing one of the most visible jobs in Washington.
Instead, she got a casual aside on a phone call.
Speaking Thursday night at a Turning Point USA event at George Washington University, the White House press secretary recounted how President Donald Trump informed her she would take on the role — in what she described as “the most anti-climatic thing ever.”
“About a week after the election, we were on the phone about something, the president and me, just chit-chatting,” Leavitt said.
“And it was the most anti-climatic thing ever. He goes, ‘Oh, by the way, you know, you’re going to be the White House press secretary, right?’”
Her response: “Oh, okay.”
Trump quickly moved on.
“And he said, ‘So about that other thing, what do you think about that? What should we do? What should we say?’”
“That was it. That’s how I got the job,” she said.
Leavitt emphasized there was “no pomp and circumstance,” calling the moment “true Donald Trump fashion” and noting that “there really wasn’t a process.”
At the time, she had been working as a spokesperson on Trump’s 2024 campaign after losing her congressional bid in New Hampshire.
“I thought, I hope I’ll get a job. I don’t know if I will,” she said.
Leavitt, who gave birth to her son in July 2024, is currently nine months pregnant with a daughter — adding another layer of intensity to a role she says began with little more than an offhand comment.
President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010
President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is “nowhere near” sending ground troops into Iran to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at the country’s Isfahan nuclear complex.
In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump said no decision has been made about deploying American forces on the ground.
“We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it,” Trump told the outlet.
Trump’s comments come after reporters aboard Air Force One asked him Saturday about the possibility of deploying ground troops as part of a potential operation involving Iran.
At the time, Trump indicated such a move would require strong justification.
“There would have to be a very good reason,” he said.
“And I would say if we ever did that, [Iran] would be so decimated they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump added on Saturday.
The president also addressed Iran’s leadership transition following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly succeeded him as Iran’s new supreme leader.
Trump said he was displeased with the development, telling the New York Post he is “not happy” that the younger Khamenei has taken power.
Asked what actions he might take in response to Iran’s new leadership, Trump declined to elaborate.
“Not going to tell you. Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him,” Trump said.
In a separate interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump suggested Iran’s new leader would struggle to remain in power without U.S. backing.
“Whoever becomes Iran’s new leader is not going to last long without approval from us,” Trump said.
A Georgia state court has ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to conduct a new search for records related to her criminal case against President Donald Trump after finding that her search methods were inadequate.
The recent order from a Fulton County Superior Court judge stems from a months-long pursuit by the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch to obtain communications between Willis’ office and the Jan. 6 select committee, as well as former special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
The order marks the latest setback in the case for Willis after a judge ordered her office in January to pay nearly $22,000 in legal fees to Judicial Watch, finding that she failed to fully respond to the watchdog’s initial open records requests.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told Fox News his organization has been searching for Willis’ communications because he believes the district attorney improperly coordinated with the federal government to charge Trump over the 2020 election.
“The lawsuit is about any collusion and collaboration with Congress and the Justice Department, Jack Smith, and we haven’t seen the documents, but they show that there has been because their very existence shows that they were talking to them,” Fitton said.
Asked about why Willis communicating with the Jan. 6 committee or Smith would be out of line, Fitton said the mere existence of the interactions showed Willis’ work lacked independence and that her indictment against Trump and 18 others was a “political operation” rather than an “honest, good-faith process.”
“Look, if Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff are running this investigation, you can be darn sure it’s not credible,” Fitton said in reference to the former Democratic House speaker and member of the Democrat-led Jan. 6 committee, respectively.
The judge said his order was a response to an affidavit by Willis that failed to address searches of devices belonging to former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade and chief investigator Michael Hill, both of whom were integral to the investigation into Trump’s alleged subversion of the 2020 election in Georgia.
The judge raised questions about whether their records had been properly searched, saying he noticed “omissions” and that communications may have been overlooked. Willis must respond within 14 days with a more comprehensive report of her search methods, the order stated.
In March 2025, the court ordered Willis to produce 212 pages of records, which Willis’ office later said it found only after searching for them several times and after initially denying their existence. The new order directs Willis to clarify the search protocols used for Hill’s and Wade’s records.
In 2023, Willis charged Trump and 18 co-defendants with racketeering and other violations over the 2020 election, but the case was significantly slimmed down significantly because of plea deals and dismissed charges.
Ultimately, the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from the case, finding her private romantic relationship with Wade presented a conflict of interest. The case has since been shelved indefinitely.
ANALYSIS – With just three weeks to go until the U.S. midterm elections, a New York Times/Siena poll of likely voters finds the Republican party is gaining momentum national over the Democrats as concerns over the economy, inflation, illegal immigration, and crime, grow among voters.
When the the Times sounds the alarm, even in an understated way, expect things to be far worse for the Democrats than reported.
But when the Times “Chief Political Analyst” resorts to breaking down the numbers in the most comical and petty way, to lessen the impact on Dems, expect a red wave.
According to this poll, 49% of likely voters plan to vote for a Republican to represent them in Congress on November 8, compared with 45% who plan to vote for a Democrat.
That’s a four-point lead, versus a one-point lead Democrats reportedly had over Republicans just last month, making the total swing in voter preference in just a few months five points.
That’s a significant shift.
Rising inflation and declining stocks are making the economy the number one concern for voters, who believe Republicans are better equipped to deal with these concerns.
And this could mean that not only will the GOP most certainly win back the House but may gain control of the Senate too.
As the New York Times writes:
… [that’s a] notable swing from last month, when Democrats led by one percentage point among likely voters. Since then, the warning signs for Democrats have begun to add up, including Republican polling gains in key Senate races like those in Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and surprising Republican strength in districts in Rhode Island and Oregon where Democrats would normally be safe.
The Times explains that this isn’t a one-off poll:
It adds, as I have predicted it would since the Roe vs Wade reversal:
The evidence for a shift toward Republicans appears to be underpinned by a change in the national political environment. Gas prices went up again. The stock market is down. A variety of data suggests that the electorate’s attention is shifting back to issues where Republicans are on stronger ground in public opinion, like the economy, inflation, crime and immigration, and away from the summer’s focus on democracy, gun violence and abortion, where Democrats have an edge.
In other words, the conditions that helped Democrats gain over the summer no longer seem to be in place.
But America’s “paper of record” can’t help itself so it desperately still tries to spin the narrative in a less damaging light for the Dems.
So, Nate Cohn, The Times’ chief political analyst, formerly with liberal New Republic, then goes on to laughably diminish the GOP four-point advantage into “only” a three-point advantage due to “rounding” of the poll result numbers.
He further goes on to spend a great deal of time discussing the intricacies of polling, and how imperfect polling is.
Something that I totally agree with.
However, this level of inane wonkery to diminish polls showing one party’s advantage nationally is something I’ve never seen in over 30 years of politics.
Meanwhile, many experts point out that the biggest error in polling in today’s political environment is how undercounted conservative Republicans are in the polls.
This was highlighted in a recent Washington Post piece that used Ohio as an example:
A look at the Marist poll’s fine print suggested something that should make Democrats nervous in the run-up to Nov. 8: Pollsters might be seriously undercounting the Republican electorate — specifically, the working-class White voters who were crucial to Trump’s electoral success.
What caught my attention in the poll’s details was the information that 45 percent of respondents had a college degree. A check of the most recent census data indicates that in Ohio, only about 29 percent of the adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
The writer, Mark Weaver, an election law attorney, and communications consultant,adds something I have discussed before – that conservative Republicans and Trump voters have been cowed into silence, but they still vote.
He notes:
This isn’t just about a single poll or a single state. I regularly talk with pollsters and campaigns, and I hear a common lament: Trump voters distrust pollsters and the media that reports on poll results, and simply won’t participate, out of protest or paranoia.
He continues discussing undercounted ‘shy’ or ‘submerged Trump voters’:
Trump supporters might have the added worry of being attacked for frankly stating their views. Stories of those affiliated with Trump being arrested, subpoenaed, doxed or mocked — with Trump providing angry amplification — result in a lower social trust of strangers inquiring about political views.
So, if the the Times “Chief Political Analyst” wanted to be a real polling wonk, perhaps he should ask why the polls have been so wrong about Republicans recently.
And instead of doing intellectual summersaults to diminish a four-point GOP lead, admit the GOP lead is probably MUCH, MUCH, greater.
Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.
The Florida Governor issued a last-minute endorsement in Kentucky’s contentious Republican gubernatorial primary on Monday, throwing his support behind former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft.
“Hello, this is Governor Ron DeSantis, coming to you from the free state of Florida. You’ve had a woke, liberal governor who’s put a radical agenda ahead of Kentuckians. The stakes couldn’t be higher. I know what it takes to stand up for what’s right, and Kelly Craft’s got it. She’s proven it,” DeSantis said in a recorded statement shared with Fox News Digital.
“I’m strongly encouraging you to go out and vote for my friend, Kelly Craft. Kelly shares the same vision we do in Florida. She will stand up to the left as they try to indoctrinate our children with their woke ideology. Kelly will fight against crazy ESG policies that are trying to end the coal industry in Kentucky. And Kelly’s going to do everything in her power to end the fentanyl crisis that is hurting Kentucky families,” he said.
In a statement to Fox News, Craft said she was “honored and grateful” to have DeSantis’ support, and praised his leadership of Florida.
“He sets the example for Republican leaders around the nation because he delivers bold, conservative results. Kentucky needs to look more like Florida instead of California, and I look forward to ushering in a new generation of conservative leadership as Governor of Kentucky,” she said.
However, Donald Trump backed Craft’s opponent, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, early on in the race.
The race is widely viewed as a bellwether for Republican chances at taking back the White House and Senate in 2024. DeSantis’ last-minute endorsement of Craft ahead of Tuesday’s Republican primary pits him squarely against former President Donald Trump as he seeks to test the strength of his own endorsement after being blamed by some Republicans for the GOP’s disappointing 2022 midterms results.
Fellow Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has also endorsed Craft.
Craft and Cameron are facing a crowded field of 10 other Republican candidates, including Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.
The winner of Tuesday’s contest will go on to face Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear in the November general election.
President Trump blasted his own supporters who continue to fume over the Jeffrey Epstein files.
“You mentioned past supporters when you were talking about the Epstein issue. Does that mean that you’re effectively disowning any supporters who are now calling—” a reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Trump cut off the question and added, “I’ve lost a lot of faith in certain people, yeah, I’ve lost. Because they got duped by the Democrats.”
In a lengthy social media post, which included references to the president’s previous claims about the 2017 Russian election interference probe, Trump blamed Democrats for creating what he called a “scam” and “hoax.”
“Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at – It’s all they have – They are no good at governing, no good at policy, and no good at picking winning candidates,” Trump said. He added, “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.”
The president made clear he no longer wants the support of those who remain interested in the Epstein investigation.
By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695
“I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,” Trump said.
Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have come under fire from conservatives for declining to release the Epstein probe files in their entirety. A new CNN poll shows just 3 percent of the public, and 4 percent of Republicans, are satisfied with the amount of information the government has put out about the Epstein case.
The Justice Department and FBI last week stated they found no evidence the deceased financier kept a “client list” of associates whom he blackmailed or conspired with to victimize dozens of women.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that Bondi should explain the administration’s handling of the case especially after she told Fox News in February that Epstein’s alleged “client list” was “sitting on my desk now to review.”
In his post, Trump disavowed those who focus on the Epstein story rather than his accomplishments.
“Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!” Trump said.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he is in favor of Bondi releasing “credible” documents related to the Epstein case. He praised Bondi when it was pointed out that she and other officials have made “inconsistent statements” about the Epstein case in the past.
“I really think that she’s done very good. She says, I gave you all the credible information. And if she finds any more credible information, she’ll give that too. What more can she do than that? I mean, honestly, what more can she do?” Trump said.
The president argued there are “bigger problems” than Epstein, like the southern border.
“She’s got a lot of things she’s working on. And, you know, it’s very sad that somebody can be waylaid, they just get waylaid, but she’s — I think she’s doing a great job,” he said.
By Niccolò Caranti - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21891838
President Donald Trump took direct aim at billionaire financier George Soros and his son Alex in a fiery Truth Social post on Wednesday, accusing the pair of fueling radical left-wing unrest across the country and hinting at potential RICO charges.
“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” Trump wrote. “We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE. Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends.”
Trump concluded with a warning: “Be careful, we’re watching you!”
Who Are the Soroses?
George Soros, a Hungarian-born billionaire, is one of the Democratic Party’s largest donors and has been financing progressive causes for decades. His global influence has been tied to left-wing prosecutors, liberal DA races, and activist organizations that critics say undermine law and order in American cities.
In 2023, Soros handed control of his vast empire—including the Open Society Foundation—to his son, Alex Soros, who has pledged to continue funding progressive causes, often with an even more openly partisan edge. Alex has boasted of his close ties to the Biden White House and prominent Democrats.
The Soros network has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into elections and activist groups, often tipping the balance in favor of left-leaning candidates. Many on the Right argue this influence has led to skyrocketing crime rates, attacks on free speech, and deepening divisions in American society.
Trump’s threat comes less than a week after his FBI raided his foreign policy adviser-turned-critic John Bolton’s home and office as part of what he slammed as a politically motivated investigation.
Bolton, who was national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, has often clashed with Trump since leaving the administration. The raid on his home marked a significant escalation in tensions between the former president and his one-time adviser.
When asked about the raid, Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he was not informed ahead of time but expected a briefing later.
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel admitted his aggressive hatred of Donald Trump over the years has cost him.
During an appearance with the Naked Lunch podcast, Kimmel admitted he’s likely lost “half” of his fans due to his relentless bashing of Trump over the years.
“There was at one time, maybe, I don’t know, like right around the beginning of this whole Trump thing where … that was kind of hinted at,” Kimmel said.
“But I just said, ‘Listen, I get it. I don’t disagree. I mean, you’re right.’ I have lost half of my fans — maybe more than that,” he conceded. “Ten years ago, among Republicans, I was the most popular talk show host, at least according to the research that they did.”
Eventually, Kimmel gave ABC an ultimatum. “If you want somebody else to host the show, then that’s fine. That’s OK with me. I’m just not going to do it like that,” he said. “They knew I was serious … I just couldn’t live with myself.”
Along with defending his actions against Trump, Kimmel also swooped in to defend President Joe Biden, who has experienced record-low approval ratings.
“He’s a nice old man who quite plainly cared about people through[out] his whole life. He’s certainly not evil. If you believe that, you’ve got some real problems.”
On Wednesday, the FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies disclosed alarming developments regarding Iran’s alleged interference in the 2024 presidential election. The joint statement, released by the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), confirmed that Iranian cyber actors attempted to share stolen information from the Trump campaign with the Biden-Harris campaign.
The report indicated that Iranian hackers sent unsolicited emails containing nonpublic Trump campaign data to individuals connected to the Biden-Harris campaign in late June and early July. While the agencies found no evidence that the recipients responded to the emails, the incident has sparked concerns about foreign interference in the U.S. election.
The Biden-Harris campaign condemned the Iranian cyber activity, emphasizing its cooperation with law enforcement since being informed of the phishing attempts. Campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein stated that the emails targeted the personal accounts of staff members rather than official campaign addresses, adding, “We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign accused Iran of trying to help the Harris-Biden ticket and demanded clarity on whether the stolen material had been used. Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt questioned, “What did they know, and when did they know it?”
Karoline Leavitt speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. [Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore ]
The matter has now drawn attention on Capitol Hill, with House Intelligence Committee members weighing in. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) noted that there was no evidence the Biden campaign responded to the unsolicited emails, while praising Harris and Biden for recognizing that foreign election interference is unacceptable.
Iran, for its part, has denied any involvement. The Iranian Mission to the United Nations issued a statement rejecting the accusations, calling for the U.S. to provide substantiated evidence.
This revelation follows reports last month of internal communications from the Trump campaign being hacked, including emails that were allegedly leaked to Politico. The leaked documents included a 271-page dossier on Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, detailing potential vulnerabilities in his political record.
The developments have intensified concerns regarding foreign influence and interference in the 2024 election, as well as the need for investigations and safeguards to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
An appellate court ruled Monday that Alina Habba is unlawfully serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor—marking a setback for President Donald Trump as he works to keep his preferred nominees leading U.S. attorney offices in Democrat-run states.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision to disqualify Habba, a loyal Trump ally who previously served as the president’s personal attorney.
The Trump administration can still request a rehearing before the full Third Circuit or appeal directly to the Supreme Court.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America,
A three-judge Third Circuit panel heard arguments in October and questioned a DOJ lawyer over the unusual process by which Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi reinstated Habba after her initial temporary term expired.
Habba is one of several Trump-aligned nominees who have faced legal challenges from opponents claiming the administration bypassed the Senate and made use of federal vacancy laws in ways they argue were improper. While Habba’s case has advanced the furthest, Lindsey Halligan in Virginia and Bill Essayli in California also face court battles over their temporary appointments.
The panel included two judges appointed by President George W. Bush and one appointed by President Barack Obama.
During arguments, the judges pressed DOJ attorney Henry Whitaker on Bondi’s authority to replace a court-appointed U.S. attorney after Trump removed him. Whitaker defended the administration’s approach, saying it followed the legal paths available.
“In this case, the executive branch admittedly took a series of precise and precisely timed steps not to evade or circumvent those mechanisms but rather to be scrupulously careful to comply with them,” Whitaker said.
One judge suggested the situation raised constitutional concerns, asking: “Would you concede that the sequence of events here, and for me, they’re unusual, would you concede that there are serious constitutional implications to your theory here, the government’s theory, which really is a complete circumvention, it seems, of the appointments clause?”
Veteran D.C. attorney Abbe Lowell—well-known for challenging the Trump administration—represented the defendants who argued Habba’s appointment was invalid.
Those defendants, facing routine federal charges, contend that because Habba was not legally serving as U.S. attorney, she should not be permitted to prosecute their cases.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
