Trump Hints Karoline Leavitt Could Be Next Admin Casualty As 'Bad Publicity' Brings Out Bruised Ego
Stop us if you've heard this one before, but President Donald Trump recently threw a fit over how he is covered in the media. Indeed, it seems that Tump has barely been able to keep his famous ego in check as he's practically been begging the American people to love him, and for his approval numbers to go up accordingly. This time around, however, the divisive politician passed the buck onto his hand-picked White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt. And, while Trump tried to play it off as a joke, recent developments and major shake-ups within the administration make us wonder if Leavitt is worried for her job.
As Trump acknowledged during an Oval Office press conference on March 31, 2026, "I got 93% bad publicity. Some people say 97, but between 93 and 97," (via X, formerly known as Twitter). He continued, "A person that gets 97% of bad stories. Maybe Karoline's doing a poor job. I don't know," seemingly pointing at Leavitt herself, who was off-camera. "She's my [representative]. You're doing a terrible job. Should we keep her? I think we'll keep her."
Trump: I got 93% bad publicity. Maybe Karoline is doing a poor job. pic.twitter.com/HINANqxbs9
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 31, 2026
The president's remarks were met with faint laughter, but not everyone is convinced he was speaking in jest. "He will eventually turn on her, just like all the others. A narcissist has no loyalty to anyone at all," one X user wrote. "RIGHTTTT under the bus LMFAO," another commented. Quoting Whoopi Goldberg's character in "Ghost," someone else humorously warned, "Uh oh. Karolyin [sic], you in danger gurl." In other words, it seems as though Kristi Noem getting kicked to the curb by President Trump is still fresh in a lot of people's minds.
The White House may still be reeling from Kristi Noem's ouster
Notably, President Donald Trump previously reassured reporters onboard Air Force One, in October 2025, that he would "never" replace Karoline Leavitt as his White House press secretary (via People). But, over the course of just a few months, there have already been some massive shifts to the status quo within the Trump administration — including at least one major departure from his cabinet. The controversial leader replaced Kristi Noem as his Department of Homeland Security Secretary in early March 2026. Trump continued to speak highly of Noem and insisted that her departure wasn't really a firing by giving the former South Daokta governor a new job as a special envoy to the Shield of the Americas.
And yet, the president also publicly denied Noem's claim that he had signed off on her controversial $220 million ad campaign, which many believe was a deciding factor in her removal. With all of that in mind, it's easy to understand why so many people interpreted Trump's seemingly jovial remarks about his press secretary's efficacy as a prelude to him throwing her under the bus, as well. And, given that Leavitt's own ego rivals that of Trump himself, we have to imagine that things are getting pretty tense in the White House. Plus, that's not even taking into account the former MAGA diehards who have turned on Trump in his second term, and vice versa. As one user noted on X, "If he [Trump] can turn against MTG [Marjorie Taylor Greene], his most loyal puppet, he can turn against ANYONE."