Overview
- The five-second clip came from an October 23 briefing where press secretary Karoline Leavitt answered a question specifically about White House construction projects.
- Lead Stories and CNN reporting confirm the quote is accurate but context-limited to renovations, not an assessment of national priorities.
- A version posted by the House Democratic Caucus framed the ballroom as a $300 million project and contrasted it with policy concerns, reinforcing a misleading impression.
- Acyn Torabi’s original post on X helped drive the clip’s reach, with Mediaite noting 2.1 million views by late Thursday as prominent Democrats amplified it.
- The White House replied on X that the claim had been debunked and shared the full exchange, and Leavitt separately used “main priority” in the briefing to describe putting American workers first on visas.