White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back strongly Friday against a reporter’s suggestion that President Donald Trump might be personally profiting from his upcoming trip to the Middle East. The exchange occurred during the daily White House briefing when a reporter asked if Trump would be meeting with individuals connected to his business ventures during the visit.
“You noted he is a successful businessman,” the reporter began, before asking whether Trump had plans to meet with people linked to future Trump resort developments in the region. Leavitt quickly dismissed the idea, replying, “Not to my knowledge,” and then addressed what she described as the "premise" of the question.
“I think it’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit,” she said. “He left a life of luxury, and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service — not just once but twice.”
Leavitt insisted that Trump had actually lost money while serving as president, and pointed to his reelection as a sign of trust from the American public. “The American public reelected him back to this White House because they trust he acts in the best interests of our country and putting the American public first.”
She closed with a jab at former President Joe Biden, saying, “I don’t remember these same types of questions being asked of my predecessor — a career politician who was clearly profiting off of this office.” Leavitt concluded by asserting that the Trump administration holds itself to “the highest ethical standards.”