Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, is once again in the spotlight, relishing the perks of her government position.
Whenever Donald Trump needs someone to pull off an interception on bad press, he knows he can call on Leavitt.
He did just that when he tasked Leavitt with defending the botched Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation.
The 28-year-old blonde has been working overtime to control the endless narratives.
She spent two months at home with her newborn daughter, Vivian, before reclaiming her spot in the president’s entourage mid-June. Leavitt and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, are also parents to a nearly 2-year-old son, Niko.
The White House implements most of Leavitt’s game plans. She prepares rebuttals to negative headlines, defend Trump’s controversial use of executive power, and arrange various photo ops.
But on occasion, she gives voters a glimpse into her atypical workdays with behind-the-scenes photos.
Such was the case when Leavitt flaunted that she was by the Republican leader’s side. Leavitt and others flew on the retrofitted Air Force One 747 the Qatari royal family gifted him last year.
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Trump, Leavitt, his sons Don Jr. and Eric Trump, and others, boarded the flight to North Dakota on July 1, where the president toured the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and delivered remarks to supporters.
“What a privilege to be aboard the inaugural flight on the brand new Air Force One! A truly unforgettable day,” she tweeted with three photos.
One of the attached images showed Leavitt seated at a table inside the aircraft. In the background, a TV stand built into the wall featured shelves lined with books ranging in color from white to mahogany.
Her attempt to show off the luxury plane backfired when a closer look unraveled the facade Trump never thought anyone would notice.
“Press sec Leavitt on the new plane, the one from Qatar. If you can zoom in on the book titles. If you can’t I’ll just share, they all say things like ‘library, book, periodical’ Stocking his shelves with fake books actually makes perfect sense for this guy,” read a reaction on IG Threads.
More people chimed in to say, “Couldn’t even be bothered to fake it with actual titles. My personal favorite are the several volumes all titled LIBRARY,” and that “Having fake books is probably the most low-class thing you can do.”
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More reactions ranged from “Oh, that is just so hilarious! And she looks so pleased with herself. I doubt she’s read anything more than a comic” to someone stating, “When you ‘pose’ with fake books behind you all creditability is lost.”
The photo also provoked others to mock Trump’s intellect.
One critic remarked, “He doesn’t read! He can’t even pass his cognitive tests,” and “I am fairly certain he’s never read a book in his life. Not even the ones where he is credited as the author,” read just two of the whacks to his ego.
The photo gaffe is Leavitt’s second time dropping the ball since clocking back in.
She swooped in to defend Trump’s Great American State Fair with an appearance on “Fox & Friends” at the National Mall days before the “Air Fraud” flight.
She stood before the empty pavilion, again drawing everyone’s attention to the 16-day festival’s low turnout.
Trump plans to deliver a speech and boost foot traffic on the Fourth of July. Leavitt has promised the spectacle will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
