White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took a break from orchestrating good press for the president, and his big moment fell apart.
Donald Trump depends on Leavitt, 28, to create diversions whenever things do not go according to plan, like his appearance at the FIFA World Cup final on July 19.
Trump, 80, handed over the tournament trophy and medals to Spain after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Argentina.
Melania Trump and Barron Trump, and the president’s elder kids, Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany, and their families were spotted at the game.
Leavitt ditched the semi-work setting to party with other White House colleagues at a Morgan Wallen concert.
She was seen with Kieghan Nangle, her executive assistant; House member William Timmons’ press secretary, Maggie Waldrop; and friend Sophia Tavoularis in Baltimore, Maryland.
Nangle posted a carousel of images from the show on Instagram. Some of the harsh comments include, “Foolish blondes, is that the band?” and “Morgan Wallen is racist- you know that, right?”
The controversial country singer has faced public reprimands for his use of the N-word. Leavitt is a fan, even sharing that Wallen was her most-streamed artist in 2025 on Spotify.
While Leavitt let her hair down, Trump stuck out among soccer officials. He even seemed confused about his next steps after passing out the victor’s hardware.
The world watched Trump awkwardly standing on stage as “The Red Fury” players chanted and celebrated under a downpour of confetti.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino eventually intervened and guided Trump off the dais. Crafty editors did the rest by removing him from the Spain’s official photos.
Leavitt tried to divert attention away from the embarrassment with one tweet.
She posted a Fox News op-ed on July 20 that championed Trump for creating a monumental experience for soccer fans in America.
Her caption mirrored the article’s title, “How President Trump’s World Cup vision showed America at its very best.”
Andrew Giuliani wrote, “No other leader could have set such an ambitious vision and inspired a nation to rise to the challenge. His lifelong experience in hospitality and his attention to detail set the standard for excellence and made this World Cup unforgettable.”
How President Trump’s World Cup vision showed America at its very besthttps://t.co/FbrRrnn7Sw
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) July 20, 2026
Critics did not bother reading the story before they picked apart Leavitt’s post.
One response read, “Hahaha! It was a total embarrassment!, @realDonaldTrump didn’t want to leave Spain’s team to celebrate, he was standing there, posing for a photo he wasn’t supposed to be part of ! The FIFA boss tried to move him but Trump refused.”
Another person chimed in to say, “No he tried to rigg the world cup.. the amazing fans and sane Americans made this an amazing world cup.”
Trump admitted he nudged FIFA to reinstate team USA’s Folarin Balogun after a red-card foul.
A third scolding read, “He was booed. He photo bombed the team trophy picture. He interfered with the red card rules. Hardly best, sweetheart.”
A fourth person unabashedly asked, “Is this the best Karoline Leavitt could do? There were no good pictures of Donald Trump, Gianni Infantino and the World Cup trophy. Look at Trump’s face.”
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The criticism was directed at story’s image, which showed Trump glaring at a photographer and Infantino smiling as they held the Cup trophy together. Leavitt is not responsible for the photo selection.
Last year, Trump appeared to slight Leavitt for her performance at work. “I got 93% bad publicity, some people say 97, but between 93 and 97. A person that gets 97% of bad … maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know,” he told media in the Oval Office.
He then looked at Leavitt and quipped, “You’re doing a terrible job,” only to then say to reporters, “Shall we keep her? I think we’ll keep her.” Three weeks later, Leavitt began her maternity leave and welcomed daughter Vivian. She and her husband, Nicholas Riccio, are also parents to son Niko, 2.
Leavitt returned to work in late June amid the humiliating turnout for Trump’s Great American State Fair.
