White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is already drawing more attention from fact-checkers than her predecessor, Jen Psaki, ever did.
In just two months since assuming office, Leavitt has received three fact-checks from PolitiFact, surpassing the total number received by Psaki during her entire tenure, according to Fox News.
Leavitt's latest claim, "Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people," was rated "False" by PolitiFact. Chief correspondent Louis Jacobson cited nearly unanimous disagreement among economists, who typically classify tariffs as tax hikes rather than tax reductions.
PolitiFact issued Leavitt's first two checks on January 30, less than two weeks after she stepped into the role. One statement was rated "False" while the other earned a rating of "Half-True."
The early scrutiny against Leavitt was highlighted by conservative media watchdog NewsBusters, which noted the unusual pace at which PolitiFact began scrutinizing Leavitt compared to Biden-era press secretaries.
Jen Psaki, who served for sixteen months under President Biden, received only two fact-checks throughout her entire term. Psaki's first fact-check in November 2021 earned a "False" rating, with a subsequent claim about COVID-19 vaccines in January 2022 rated as "True."
Comparatively, Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden's second press secretary, received four fact-checks between May 2022 and January 2025. Jean-Pierre's record consisted of two "False" ratings and two "Mostly True" ratings.
Leavitt's pace of fact-checking aligns more closely with press secretaries from President Donald Trump's first term. Sean Spicer, Trump's initial press secretary in 2017, accumulated nine PolitiFact checks in just six months.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who took over following Spicer, received five PolitiFact checks, while Kayleigh McEnany, serving from 2020 to 2021, had four. The trend indicates a tendency for Trump's press secretaries to be fact-checked more frequently than Biden's.
Responding to the scrutiny of Leavitt, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers criticized PolitiFact's methodology and accused the organization of partisan bias. Rogers stated:
PolitiFact’s so called ‘reporters’ aren’t fact checkers; they are left-wing crusaders dedicated to spinning the truth, perpetrating lies, and promoting the Democrats’ radical agenda.
Rogers further defended Leavitt's transparency and honesty, suggesting PolitiFact struggled to find genuine inaccuracies:
Karoline Leavitt has been so honest and transparent with the press that the fake fact-checkers at PolitiFact are having a hard time finding any facts to check.
PolitiFact, known for its fact-checking role on social media platforms, recently faced criticism from its own executives. The organization's executive previously criticized Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for discontinuing third-party fact-checking on his platforms.
Karoline Leavitt, the current press secretary under President Trump, quickly surpassed Jen Psaki's fact-check count, triggering discussions about media bias and the role of fact-checking organizations. PolitiFact's rapid response to Leavitt's claims, compared to its limited engagement during Psaki's tenure, raises questions about consistency and fairness. Going forward, the intensity of fact-checking scrutiny on Leavitt may continue to be a point of contention between the White House and media analysts, influencing public perception of the administration and the media outlets.
