White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had a headscratcher of an answer when asked about President Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about fellow Republican and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who introduced legislation to ban stock trading by all federal lawmakers, including the president and vice president.
The bill passed a critical hurdle Wednesday with, Hawley joining seven Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voting 8-7 to advance the bill. Hawley was the only Republican to vote for it.
That set Trump off. The president called Hawley a “second-tier Senator” and accused him of “playing right into the dirty hands of Democrats.”
“I don’t think real Republicans want to see their President, who has had unprecedented success, TARGETED, because of the ‘whims’ of a second-tier Senator named Josh Hawley!” Trump claimed.
Leavitt was asked about Trump’s comments on Hawley and where he stands on the bill. She said Hawley and Trump have since spoken but found a way to masterfully sidestep the question.
“Conceptually, he, of course, supports the idea of ensuring that members of Congress and United States senators who are here for public service cannot enrich themselves,“ Leavitt said.
Then she went on to bash longtime Democratic House leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi. “And the reason that this idea to put a ban on stock trading for members of Congress is even a thing is because of Nancy Pelosi.”
Leavitt and Trump apparently have a problem with Pelosi and her family’s wealth, which is mindboggling given Trump’s brazen business moves and conflicts of interest while using the presidency to make millions and millions of dollars. Pelosi, by the way, supports the measure.
“I think the President stands with the American people on this. He doesn’t want to see people like Nancy Pelosi enriching themselves off of public service and ripping off their constituents in the process. As for the mechanics of the legislation, how it will move forward, the White House continues to be in discussions with our friends on Capitol Hill that are bringing offers to the table,” she concluded.
Social media erupted after her comments across multiple platforms.
Karoline really?! What about your boss and how he is enriching himself! Maybe you should talk to Mike Johnson just claimed that without the ability to do stock trading they might not be able to attract people to public service. Karoline did you have permission to put Nancy’s financial resources on public blast?! Trump only wants republicans to reap benefits not democrats!
“The hypocrisy is absolutely ASTOUNDING!!!!!,” this Threads user posted. Another asked, “Does she hear herself?”
“Ohhhh but it’s okay for certain republicans to enrich themselves????? Give your head a shake!!!” Mary Weller wrote on Threads.
“Like opening golf courses in Scotland?” Mikey Allenby posted. One shocked viewer added, “Did she choke after saying that?”
“Now that is funny. Who has profited more from public service than Trump. The Presidency is his side gig,” another Threads user said.
In an effort to limit Trump’s ongoing profiting from the presidency, and, at the same time as Trump was calling out Hawley over trying to ban federal officials from profiting off stock trades, Connecticut Democratoc Sen. Chris Murphy introduced an amendment on the Appropriations Committee to prevent Trump from taking that “free” Qatari jet home with him after he leaves office.
“I offered the amendment. Not to refuse acceptance of the Qatari jet; just to prohibit Trump from taking it with him when he leaves office – after the taxpayers spend $1 billion to retrofit it,” Murphy said on X.
“Failed 14-15. Every single Republican voted to allow Trump to take the jet,” he added.
Needless to say, social media had a lot to say about the amendment and vote. And as expected, even though Trump does plan to take it with him, the MAGA sphere jumped to his defense.
“One of the leading beneficiaries of US Senate corruption speaking ‘against’ corruption,” Retiring Roger taunted.
“The plane belongs to the Department of Defense, specifically, the Air Force. It cannot be transferred to Trump personally,” another Trump defender said attempting to refute Murphy’s claim on X.
Still others tried to set the record straight.
“It can (and the plan is to) transfer ownership to the Trump Library Foundation, a private non-profit his family controls. Once they own the plane, they can do whatever they like with it,” this X poster said in correcting the statement.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving almost $1 billion that was supposed to fund an upgrade on the nation’s aging nuclear missile system and rerouting it to a classified project, according to the latest reporting by the New Youk Times and The Hill.
That project is reportedly refurbishing Trump’s so-called “free” Qatari plane to the tune of more than $1 billion, some estimates project.
