By Katherine Tinsley
1:11pm PDT, Apr 30, 2025
_
Donald Trump and
Karoline Leavitt are embracing alternative forms of media: The press secretary recently met with influencers and creatives who are fans of the president to discuss the administration in her first "new media" press briefing — and there were plenty of eyebrow-raising moments.
Keep reading for the details…
MORE:
Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news
_
"As I promised in my first briefing as press secretary back in January, the Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities — not just the legacy media who traditionally has covered this institution," Karoline Leavitt said during a Monday, April 28, briefing.
_
Things got off to an odd start when conservative influencer Arynne Wexler thanked Karoline Leavitt for English-speaking Uber drivers, which she attributed to Donald Trump's harsher stance on immigration.
"Thanks so much, Karoline — both for having us and for granting me the first question here," Wexler said. "And I can attest to the deportations in Florida. My Uber drivers finally speak English again, so thank you for that."
_
Aside from interacting with more Anglophones, conservative influencer Arynne Wexler was concerned about transgender athletes in sports.
"What are the administration's plans for those who continue to defy the executive orders?" she asked. "Most notably on my mind are the ones related to what some would call … trans women, which are men masquerading as women, in girls' sports."
"Obey federal law, or you will be prosecuted. Obey federal law, and you could see your federal funding cut whether you are a college or a university," Karoline Leavitt replied.
_
Former Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall was one of the internet personalities invited to the White House, where he expressed concerns about "hate speech" laws affecting British citizens.
Marshall experienced what he dubbed "professional punishment" for his conservative views, prompting him to part ways with Mumford & Sons.
According to Marshall, his fellow Brits face "extensive prison sentences for tweets, social media posts and general free speech issues."
"Would the Trump administration consider asylum for British citizens in such a situation?" asked Marshall, who now hosts "The Winston Marshall Show" podcast.
_
Despite Winston Marshall's concerns, Karoline Leavitt admitted Donald Trump wasn't thinking about a British asylum program.
"I have not heard that proposed to the president, nor have I spoken to him about that idea, but I certainly can talk to our national security team and see if it's something the administration would entertain," she replied.
_
While many of the popular faces at the White House were influencers, Donald Trump's previous press secretary Sean Spicer was also in attendance.
"You've done a phenomenal job opening up the briefing room, bringing in new voices," Spicer said. "The president's commitment during the campaign to do long-form podcasts was, I think, extremely helpful to this new media environment that we live in."
"But a lot of conservatives will ask me, 'Why does he sit down with people like Terry Moran of ABC or Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic?' What is the rationale behind that, rewarding people who have very vehemently expressed disdain for him personally?" Spicer asked.
_
While Donald Trump's administration is embracing the digital media landscape, Karoline Leavitt assured Sean Spicer that her boss isn't worried about traditional media.
"The president is unafraid, and he is inspired by competition," she said.
_
Donald Trump has previously shut down any accusations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, but conservative influencer Rogan O'Handley was curious about the convicted trafficker's clients being prosecuted.
"Do you have any updates from the DOJ or the FBI on when those files are expected to be released?" he asked. "And also, when we might start seeing some arrests of the client list?"
"I can assure you that the attorney general and her team at the Department of Justice are working on this diligently," Karoline Leavitt said. "For a specific timeline, I'd have to check in with them, and we can certainly do that for you, Rogan, in the effort of transparency."
_
Karoline Leavitt went on to gush about Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"I will tell you the attorney general is a bulldog," Leavitt said. "She is someone you want on your team. And when she wants to get something done, she gets it done."
"I've seen her do it in various instances already in her time as attorney general," the 27-year-old added. "And when she makes a promise, she keeps it."
_
Pam Bondi previously said explosive Jeffrey Epstein documents were "sitting on my desk," but it was later revealed that the files didn't contain much additional new information.
_
Kambree Nelson asked Karoline Leavitt how she should approach reporting on the White House.
"I'm kind of the nerd when it comes to reporting," Nelson said. "I'm not the headline news girl. I'm the nuts-and-bolts, I'm the policy-type nerd; so what direction do you advise me to go into?"
"Like the White House files that y'all send out every single day? Because that's what people are used to," she continued. "When they wanna ask me questions, they wanna know the nuts and bolts of everything."
_
Karoline Leavitt seemed to appreciate Kambree Nelson's question.
"I wish there were people in the legacy media that were like you," Leavitt said. "And didn't focus on the sensationalist headlines but actually cared about the facts."
_
At the end of the influencer gathering, Karoline Leavitt shared her appreciation for the talent in attendance.
"Thank you for coming to our very first influencer briefing to kick off the first 100 days of the Trump White House," Leavitt said. "It's great to see you all here, and thanks for what you do."
"Thank you, I'm going to walk off now," she concluded.
