CNN Reporter Clashes with White House Spokesperson Leavitt Over ‘Pushing Narratives’

White House Press Secretary Clashes with Reporters Over Inflation Data

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt engaged in a heated exchange with reporters during Thursday’s briefing, particularly with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, over the administration’s messaging on inflation and economic conditions.

The confrontation began when Collins pressed Leavitt to reconcile what she characterized as President Donald Trump’s contradictory statements about the economy—claiming it was booming while simultaneously advising parents to reduce Christmas spending due to high prices.

Leavitt responded with economic statistics, noting that inflation has decreased since Trump took office. “Inflation is down from where it was. As measured by the overall CPI, it has slowed to an average 2.5% pace,” she stated. “This is down from what the president inherited. The president inherited 2.9% in January. Today, it’s at about 2.5%, so we’re trending in the right direction.”

The press secretary then highlighted the inflation trajectory across administrations, adding that when Trump left office after his first term, inflation stood at 1.7%, before rising to what she called “a record-high 9%” under the Biden administration.

“In 10 months, the president has clawed us out of this hole, he’s kept it low at 2.5%, and we believe that number is going to continue to decline,” Leavitt asserted.

When Collins attempted to interject that “nobody is saying it wasn’t high under Biden” but that inflation remains “virtually unchanged,” the exchange grew more contentious. Leavitt accused the press corps of applying a double standard in their scrutiny.

“Nobody reported it on being high under Biden. My predecessor was standing up here at this podium, but now you want to ask me a lot of questions about it,” Leavitt said. She further claimed that her predecessor had stated “inflation doesn’t exist” and that the border was secure, which Leavitt characterized as “two utter lies.”

The press secretary then directly accused Collins of pushing narratives rather than reporting facts: “Everything I’m telling you is the truth backed by real factual data, and you just don’t want to report on it because you want to push untrue narratives about the president.”

The exchange underscores the growing political sensitivity around economic issues ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Affordability has emerged as a critical battleground after several Democratic victories in 2025 campaigns that focused heavily on cost-of-living issues. Republicans, including the Trump administration, are now recalibrating their economic messaging in response.

Despite Leavitt’s positive framing of economic indicators, public sentiment remains largely negative. A November Fox News national survey found that 76% of voters view the economy negatively, an increase from 67% in July and up from the 70% reported at the end of Biden’s term. This represents a deterioration in public perception during Trump’s second term thus far, despite his administration’s insistence that economic conditions are improving.

The divergence between the administration’s economic messaging and voter sentiment presents a growing challenge for the White House. Trump himself recently told Politico that he would give his economic performance an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade, a stark contrast to the predominately negative views held by the electorate.

Economic metrics will likely remain a focal point of political debate as both parties position themselves ahead of the midterms, with Republicans seeking to demonstrate progress on inflation while Democrats continue to emphasize ongoing affordability concerns among American voters.

The administration’s handling of these economic narratives and its ability to shift public perception could prove decisive in determining which party gains the political advantage on kitchen-table issues that historically drive voter behavior in midterm elections.