White House Press Secretary Defends Tariffs During Contentious Exchange With AP Reporter

Karoline Leavitt criticized the Associated Press while defending President Trump's tariff policies, escalating tensions over press access and economic policy disagreements.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clashed with AP reporter Josh Boak during a briefing over President Trump's use of tariffs, which Boak described as 'tax hikes.'
Leavitt defended the tariffs as benefiting American workers and argued they were a tax on foreign nations, not U.S. importers, sparking a heated exchange about economic impacts.
The confrontation highlighted ongoing tensions between the White House and the Associated Press, which has been excluded from certain events and press pools after a dispute over adopting the term 'Gulf of America.'
A federal judge recently declined to immediately reinstate the AP's White House access, scheduling further arguments for March 20 to address the legal and constitutional implications.
The AP's exclusion has also affected its ability to cover key moments, including its photographers being barred despite winning awards for significant political imagery.