MSNBC Host: TWH's Leavitt Is 'Misinformed'

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace Tuesday sharply criticized White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a segment on her show Deadline: White House. The critique stemmed from a contentious exchange earlier that day between Leavitt and Associated Press reporter Josh Boak during a White House press briefing, where Leavitt defended President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

The incident began when Boak questioned Leavitt about Trump’s focus on tariffs, asking whether they represented a tax hike on American consumers, especially given Trump’s campaign emphasis on tax cuts. Leavitt responded by asserting, “He’s actually not implementing tax hikes. Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate for tax cuts.” Boak pushed back, saying, “I’m sorry, have you ever paid a tariff? Because I have. They don’t get charged on foreign companies, they get charged on importers,” highlighting the economic reality that tariffs are typically paid by U.S. importers and often passed on to consumers through higher prices. Leavitt grew defensive, accusing Boak of insulting her by “testing [her] knowledge of economics” and expressing regret for taking his question.

Leavitt nukes Fake News loser Josh Boak — whose terminal case of TDS has shred any semblance of objectivity.

"I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press." pic.twitter.com/zKxvCNreQv

— Gabriela Iglesias🇺🇲 (@iglesias_gabby) March 12, 2025

Later that evening, Wallace aired the exchange on her program and delivered a scathing assessment of Leavitt’s remarks. She stated, “I mean, she’s awash in regret and remorse and offense, but she’s either tragically uninformed or lying,” suggesting that Leavitt’s claim about tariffs being a tax cut was either a gross misunderstanding or a deliberate misrepresentation. Wallace emphasized, “There is no economist that’s been tapped to sit in Donald Trump’s cabinet who would testify under oath to what she just said, ‘Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people.’ Simply the opposite is reality.” Her guest, Annie Lowrey from The Atlantic, reinforced this point, explaining, “Tariffs are taxes paid by American consumers. They raise prices for American businesses and American households,” directly contradicting Leavitt’s framing.

Wallace’s comments reflect a broader narrative among critics of Trump’s trade policies, which have escalated tensions with allies like the European Union and sparked market volatility. The exchange and subsequent coverage underscored a growing divide between the administration’s portrayal of tariffs as beneficial to Americans and the consensus among economists that they function as a consumer tax.