Few voices in the MAGA-sphere make me want to flip the channel more than Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Only the grating voice of Donald Trump himself can make me dive faster for the remote as I promise myself that I'll read the transcript later, because it's my job as a journalist to know today's official White House lies. I love being on Greg Sargent's New Republic podcast, but I often have to steel myself because I know what clip he'll play for me: Leavitt scolding reporters like she's the uber-Karen, dressing down a waitress for putting three ice cubes in her tea instead of the requested two.
Judging by social media, my irrepressible loathing of Leavitt's smug visage and pompous voice makes me typical of my demographic: progressive, college-educated women between the ages of 25 and 65. Among this set on Instagram and TikTok, making fun of Leavitt is a popular sport. I would like to report that her critics take the high road of focusing on her job as spokesperson for a wannabe dictator, but mostly it's just about how weird and annoying she is. She's mocked for having one mode: perpetual tight-lipped outrage, as if she wants to call management on literally every person she meets.
