‘That Beautiful Face, Lips Like Machine Gun,’ Donald Trump Sparks Controversy With Similar On-Stage Remarks About Press Secretary, Triggers Fresh Debate

At a recent Pennsylvania rally meant to highlight his economic record, Donald Trump couldn’t help but go off-script. In the middle of boasting about his administration’s successes, the 79-year-old president started talking up his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, specifically, her looks.

Donald Trump Goes Off-Script

“We even brought our superstar today, Karoline. Isn’t she great? Is Karoline great?” he called out, prompting cheers from the crowd. 

Then he zeroed in on her appearance and confidence. “You know, when she goes on television, Fox, like, I mean, they dominate, they dominate…When she gets up there with that beautiful face and those lips that don’t stop-op-op-op, like a little machine gun,” Trump said, even making rapid-fire sound effects.

He kept going, saying she was fearless because, in his words, “we have the right policy.” He rattled off a list of hot-button issues men in women’s sports, transgender rights, border security insisting that Leavitt’s job is easier because of where they stand. “I wouldn’t want to be the other side’s press secretary,” he quipped.

Trump’s Rally Speech Draws Attention

This wasn’t the first time Trump had made comments like these. Back in August, during a Newsmax interview, he had said, “It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun.”

He even claimed, “I don’t think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline.”

Leavitt worked with Trump before, serving as assistant press secretary from 2019 to 2021. She’s from New Hampshire and married to Nicholas Riccio, a 60-year-old real estate developer. They have a son together, Niko.

After losing a congressional race, she came back to the White House this January, becoming both the youngest press secretary in history and the fifth to serve under Trump his first of the new term.

ALSO READ: Australia Bans Social Media for Under-16s, Find Out Which Apps Are Hit and Which Escape the Ban