Tuesday’s White House press briefing was a barn burner for both its brevity and fire from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as, after offering the administration’s continued prayers for NBC’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie and her family as they look for their kidnapped mother, took aim at CBS News for a vile, pro-illegal immigrant article and the wider White House press for ignoring a series of Trump administration successes on basic biology, the border, and the economy.
Leavitt tore into CBS after a question from National Review’s Caroline Downey, who was sitting in the “new media seat.” Notice how Leavitt correctly and directly asked whether CBS and other journalists would support having supposedly non-violent criminal illegals who’ve committed crimes such as distribution of child pornography and DUI:
.@NRO’s @CarolineDowney_ is today’s “new media seat” recipient at the White House press briefing and asked about the CBS News article claiming many of the illegal immigrants taken into custody by the Trump administration have no criminal record...
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
Downey: “On the criticism that… pic.twitter.com/BiUsftFEUD
And here was how she ended the briefing by listing how reporters refused to ask about a record-high Dow, a leading medical group coming out against child gender mutilations, a positive ruling for the administration to continue detaining illegal immigrants, record-low crime rates, plunging rents, improving affordability for home buying, and record-low border crossings:
BOOM: @PressSec @KarolineLeavitt closed Tuesday’s White House press briefing with stories about the administration’s recent successes the liberal elite media have been ignoring...
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
“I will just point out that there are a lot of wins in the news this week that people in this room… pic.twitter.com/kdSsqbjflx
In between, the liberal, elite press had other priorities such as the Epstein files, last week’s controversial video of the Obamas depicted as apes, Democrats being disinvited from a National Governor’s Association gathering, and a new flare-up with Canada over the Gordie Howe Bridge.
Following a question about the probe into his colleague’s missing mother, NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez asked a series of questions about Jeffrey Epstein, illustrating the left’s never-ending crusade to will into existence some deep ties between President Trump and the rich creep:
NBC’s @GabeGutierrez: “On a completely separate topic, I was hoping you could clarify something that's come up over the last several days — again, regarding a separate topic — in the Epstein files. According to newly released files, President had a conversation with the Palm… pic.twitter.com/093ikuWWua
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
Our friend and Daily Caller White House correspondent Regan Reese brought up congressional stammering on the SAVE Act that would secure America’s election systems:
.@DailyCaller’s @ReaganReese_: “I want to ask you about the SAVE Act. NBC reported that there's some hesitation among House Republicans on adding absentee ballot restrictions into the SAVE Act. Can you explain what the hesitation is among House Republicans, and also just provide… pic.twitter.com/JVNzn2MA3q
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
After New York Post’s Steven Nelson followed up on the Guthrie case and wondered why Trump wants Penn Station named after himself, AFP’s Danny Kemp brought up the left’s preferred Trump scandal of the day from late last week:
.@AFP’s @DannyCTKemp: “Today, the — the Vice President's account posted and then deleted a tweet about the Armenian genocide. And then last week, President Trump's Truth social account posted and then deleted a racist video about the Obamas and the white House again blamed that… pic.twitter.com/pBEAEPng6J
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
MRC Bulldog Award winner and Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan then became the only reporter in the room to bring up Monday’s sentencing of pro-democracy newspaperman Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong:
.@realDailyWire’s @MaryMargOlohan: “When the President goes to Beijing in the spring, does he have plans to try and advocate on behalf of Jimmy Lai, who's just sentenced to 20 years yesterday?”@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “This is something I've heard the President advocate for,… pic.twitter.com/QU1lKbkT0f
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
To be clear, Lai was sentenced to a two-decade prison sentence by the Chinese Community Party-controlled regime for the crime of journalism and running a media company that was unwilling to act as a CCP mouthpiece, but the press weren’t interesting in asking the White House about this while, on the other hand, losing their minds over Don Lemon facing charges for partnering with the January 18 church stormers in St. Paul.
Skipping ahead, Real Clear Politics’s Philip Wegmann challenged the administration from the right on the border wall and Daily Mail’s Charlie Spiering inquired about whether President Trump has had any recent contact with the Guthrie family:
RCP’s @PhilipWegmann: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem just posted a photo of herself signing the last contract of steel to build the border wall between Laredo, Del Rio and Big Bend, Texas [amid] reports that construction had stalled. Is the President satisfied with the pace of… pic.twitter.com/emeHVOA9n3
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
.@Daily_MailUS’s @CharlieSpiering: “[O]n the Nancy Guthrie case, is the President satisfied with the federal and local investigation so far? And has there been any more contact from the white House or the President with the family?”@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “I don't think… pic.twitter.com/CKQD9H652s
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 10, 2026
Once she finished listening to NPR’s Tamara Keith ask about Epstein and the lack of a Trump meeting with the National Governor’s Association and a Bloomberg reporter also bringing up Epstein, Leavitt arrived at her Kayleigh McEnany-esque closing remarks about policy matters that actually affect the lives of everyday Americans.
To see the relevant transcript form the February 10 briefing, click here.