White Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is known for making unbelievably outlandish comments about President Donald Trump’s prowess as commander-in-chief, his capacity as president, and how great he and his policies are. But she just made perhaps one of her most astonishing remarks yet about her dear leader and how “well-read” he is. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt listens as U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from the members of the press aboard Air Force One on January 11, 2026 en route back to the White House from Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) It’s long been rumored that Trump doesn’t read. He watches hours of television news every day, according to various sources and reporting over the years, but when it comes to actually reading a book, it’s apparently not his thing. In comparison, for example, one of his predecessors, President Barack Obama actually put out an annual book list of his top picks. ‘Embarrassed to be American’: White House Scrambles to Do Damage Control After Trump’s Meltdown, But the Line He Crossed This Time May be Impossible to Walk Back So, in this context it was a bit eyebrow-raising to hear Leavitt gush over Trump and his reading habits during an interview on April 2 at George Washington University in Washington with Turning Point USA chairwoman and CEO Erika Kirk as part of the organization’s spring tour. Leavitt was offering advice to students who had gathered at the event when she made nothing short of a wild declaration about Trump. She started off by suggesting the best piece of advice she was ever given was “to try to be the most well-read person in every room.” “I try to be every day, but Donald Trump always is. That man does not miss a story. Let me tell you. He’s always reading the papers and watching the TV,” she astoundingly bragged, clearly not understanding what the term “well-read” even means. But she cluelessly added, “He doesn’t miss anything anyone says in the whole world. I don’t know how he does it and consumes it all, and it’s a lot.” Then she went a step further also seeming to compare media literacy with being “well-read.” “You’re students,” she continued. “You’re, you’re working, you’re in school. You want to have fun, you want to live lives. You can’t consume every piece of news, but before you get really hot and bothered about something, or maybe angry or even really encouraged by something, check other sources and then use your best judgment to sort of balance what the truth is. And unfortunately, that’s just the way it has to be done.” This is not bad advice, in fact is very accurate in terms of knowing and trusting the news sources, publications and outlets, but it just has nothing to do with being well-read. The definition of well-read is a person who is knowledgeable and informed as a result of extensive reading. Merriam Webster defines it as “well-informed or deeply versed through reading.”  Social media wasn’t having any of Leavitt’s duplicity on this outrageous claim about Trump. Of course, Trump’s archnemesis, a stunned California Gov. Gavin Newsom, couldn’t let this one pass and responded in his usual hysterical way. “DONALD TRUMP IS THE MOST WELL-READ PERSON IN THE ROOM? WHO ELSE IS IN THAT ROOM? TWO ROCKS, A JELLY DONUT, AND LEAVITT?” Newsom quipped in a post on X. Former national security official Miles Taylor recounted his experience with Trump. “I remember the first piece of advice I got on briefing President Trump in 2017: He doesn’t read. Bring pictures. Only try to impress ONE thing on him. And if there has to be words, single page only.“ Others piled on. “He literally can’t read,” this Threads user pointed out. “You HAVE TO BE KIDDING. The man can barely read. OMG. HOW SCABBY ARE HER KNEES??” Threads user Diane Jarrett scoffed. Another agreed, “That she can say this with a straight face is an indicator of how utterly soulless she is. The absurd lies flow so easily.” ‘The Absurd Lies’: Karoline Leavitt Makes One of the Most Outlandish Claims Yet About Trump, Then Viewers Replay Something She Clearly Hoped No One Would Notice ...read more read less