Latest news with #pressbriefing
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The hunky photographer distracting viewers from White House press briefing
A foxy photographer who set social media ablaze after being spotted in the press pool at a White House briefing revealed that all the attention has been 'surreal.' A series of clips showing the smoldering snapper looking on as White House Press Secretary Leavitt spoke went viral, earning millions of views and a gaggle of gushing comments. 'Does anyone have a name for this man my friends wanna know,' wrote on X user who shared the clip. 'Sorry Karoline, I lost focus on what you were saying when they kept showing this photographer,' added another who posted it. The clips also set off a wave of lusty replies. 'Who is this perfect specimen?' a viewer gushed on X. 'Photographer? He belongs in front of the camera,' another wrote. 'Why isn't he a model?!?' a third asked. 'He kind of looks like James Dean,' yet another observed. Smitten sleuths worked quickly to identify the object of their affection as Nathan Howard, a Washington, DC,-based photojournalist who has shot for the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and Reuters. His social media following has since grown by the thousands since he went viral. 'It's a bit surreal,' Howard told the Daily Mail on Friday. 'I don't think my wife and friends will ever stop making fun of me, but it's nice to see the press get some positive attention.' According to Howard's personal website, 'his work is often focused on U.S. politics, the destructive impacts of climate change, and extremism in the American West.' Recent posts on his social media accounts show his work in and around the White House, from portraits of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to shots of Air Force One. A few days before, Howard was taking flicks of a Trump supporter with his his fist raised on the day of Trump's military parade. A firearm was held firmly in the man's the other hand. 'My colleagues in the White House press corps work incredibly hard to hold powerful people accountable,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Also, people should know I think it's so hot when they subscribe to their local newspaper.' For now, Howard's social media profile are being bombarded with requests for him to 'post selfies'. 'We want more photos of u nate,' one read.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Video Proves ICE Barbie's Claim Her Goons Didn't Know Padilla Was BS
ICE Barbie Kristi Noem's claim that Secret Service agents did not know who California Senator Alex Padilla was as they forcibly removed him from a press briefing has been spectacularly disproved. Multiple clips from the incident, including one captured by a Fox News reporter, show that Padilla, a Democrat, clearly identified himself as a U.S. senator as Noem's security detail approached him midway through a Thursday news conference. 'I am Sen. Alex Padilla,' he can be heard saying clearly, as a member of Noem's security team held the 52-year-old politician's shirt and pushed him backward. Struggling to speak while being engaged, Padilla continued: 'I have questions for the secretary, because the fact of the matter is a half a dozen violent criminals that should be–' Padilla was removed from the briefing room before he could finish his statement. Noem and the communications team at the Department of Homeland Security, which President Donald Trump appointed her to oversee, were accused of immediately going into spin mode, placing blame for the ordeal on Padilla and claiming that he was a random man for all they knew. 'Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,' said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin. Noem quickly went on Fox News to make a similar claim. 'This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped,' she said of Padilla. 'He did not identify himself and was removed from the room. So, as soon as he identified himself, appropriate actions were taken.' More than 20 seconds passed between Padilla identifying himself as a senator and him being ordered to the ground and briefly placed in handcuffs. One of his staffers recorded the ordeal until an official blocked the view of his camera and ordered him to stop recording. The FBI said in a statement that Padilla was not wearing a 'Senate security pin' that would confirm his identity to federal agents. The bureau added that he was 'disruptive' at the event and was released after he was 'positively identified.' Republicans have defended the Secret Service and agreed with Noem's claim that Padilla did not identify himself. Democrats, perhaps predictably, have sided with Padilla. 'If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you,' said California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Padilla had a similar message in a statement he gave shortly after the incident. 'If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community, and throughout California, and throughout the country,' he said. 'We will hold this administration accountable.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jen Psaki Spoofs Karoline Leavitt With Ice-Cold Trump Stunt Prediction
Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki once again stepped back into briefing mode by using her MSNBC show to satirize the often chaotic briefings held by current Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt. In the Wednesday segment, Psaki responded to real questions that have been posed to Leavitt but, as she said when debuting the bit earlier this month, 'without the usual MAGA spin.' Before a digital backdrop of the White House briefing room, Psaki picked out key themes from a recent briefing. She argued that Trump is 'a lot of things, but a fiscal hawk is not one of them,' dismissed the idea that Trump sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as a villain, and predicted Trump may end up flying reporters to Greenland — a territory he has repeatedly talked about acquiring for the United States — to distract from controversies at home. Watch here: The Most Brutal Zingers About Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' During Fiery House Debate Child's Sharp Question About Trump Delivers Viral Moment At White House Iconic Director Trashes Trump With Muffled Cannes Mic-Drop
CTV News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
LIVE SOON: Karoline Leavitt holds White House briefing
Watch U.S. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a briefing at the White House. Watch LIVE here.
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'New media' seat at White House briefings shakes up establishment with alternative to 'archaic' press
The "new media" seat at the White House has shaken up press briefings as the Trump administration aims to reach Americans who don't rely on what it calls "the archaic White House press corps" for information. The "new media" seat is the brainchild of press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who felt legacy media essentially had a monopoly over coverage of the White House. No seats were taken from anyone, as the designated seat to the right of the lectern is where White House staffers or guests traditionally sat along the side of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. Nowadays, the seat is filled by new and emerging voices who typically get introduced by Leavitt before being called upon for the first question of the briefing, which traditionally went to the Associated Press under previous administrations. Some of the "new media" seat's occupants, such as Axios' Mike Allen and 2Way's Mark Halperin, are longtime D.C. insiders who currently work for upstart organizations, while others, like "Unbiased Podcast" host Jordan Berman, wouldn't have sniffed the briefing room under previous administrations. "The legacy media's charade of inclusivity has been exposed by their resistance to allow emerging voices into the press briefing room. Americans have found new ways to digest their media—and we cater to the people, not the archaic White House press corps," assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. The "new media" seat has also faced criticism, largely from legacy outlets, and some of the occupants have been criticized for lobbing softball questions at briefings or heaping praise on Leavitt and the president. But White House insiders believe negative coverage of the opportunity for new voices is proof that traditional outlets are scared to relinquish control of the briefing room. Ruthless Podcast co-host John Ashbrook occupied the seat in January and asked Leavitt if the legacy media was out of touch with the border crisis. He embraced his role as an outsider in the briefing room despite what he called "eye rolls and smirks" from traditional journalists. "Every dirty look from legacy media was wiped away when they had to write down the news made in response to the question I asked," Ashbrook told Fox News Digital. While Ashbrook used his lead-off question to prompt criticism of the press, other "new media" seat occupants have asked about such topics as transgender athletes, artificial intelligence, the economy and foreign policy. "Timcast IRL" host Tim Pool has been one of the more polarizing occupants of the seat. When Pool was announced as the seat holder last month, the move was swiftly criticized by mainstream reporters. New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger reminded his followers on X that Pool was tied to a Tennessee-based media company accused of receiving money from Russia (Pool has denied any wrongdoing), while a USA Today reporter took issue with his signature beanie cap. Pool, who has 2.4 million followers on X, said he noticed "snooty looks" from some legacy reporters and "disdain" for his presence on social media following the opportunity. "All they've done in that press room is march in lockstep with each other, all reporting the same falsehoods, the same angles, the same manipulations. There's no curiosity. The questions they largely ask are predictable. And yet, if any other company wants to come in, it's a whiplash, it is an attack, it's vitriol. They're acting more like high school teen girls than professionals," Pool told Fox News Digital. Pool said that during the Biden administration, White House reporters from liberal, mainstream outlets were largely not curious or intentionally tried to obfuscate facts and details to push a political ideology. He's thrilled that Leavitt has shaken things up to offer a break from the "faux adversarial questions" that liberal reporters asked during the Biden administration. "There needs to be an attempt to create competition in the journalistic space so that we're not getting the same worldview from every single reporter," Pool said. "Naturally, they're upset by the competition. But all I see is, with the new media personalities coming in, they're largely on the other sides of the political spectrum, but even then, they're not in complete agreement on everything." "I do think this is a great step forward in bringing in new voices with different perspectives, which is what diversity was supposed to mean," he continued. "It was an honor and a privilege." The "new media" seat has also been occupied by The Bulwark's Andrew Egger, Breitbart's Matt Boyle, podcaster Sage Steele, Rumble's Chris Pavlovski, X's John Stoll, Semafor's Shelby Talcott, The Daily Wire's Mary Margaret Olohan, "Breaking Points" co-host Saagar Enjeti, Townhall's Katie Pavlich, Merit Street Media's Lyndsay Keith, NOTUS reporter Jasmine Wright, Matthew Foldi of the Washington Reporter, Punchbowl's Brendan Pedersen and Blaze Media correspondent Chris Bedford, among others. Reporters from outlets such as the AP, CNN, Reuters, ABC, CBS, NBC, USA Today, The New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and Fox News have assigned seats at White House press briefings, while reporters from smaller outlets stand along the crowded perimeter of the room. Leavitt explained why she has taken a different approach to the media during a May 5 appearance on "Hannity." "It's because President Trump has revolutionized media and the way Americans consume media. He started this on the campaign when he opened the campaign to social media influencers and podcasters, and he was willing to take that nontraditional media route. We've continued that effort at the White House," Leavitt said. Former Obama press secretary Jay Carney even praised Leavitt's changes to the White House press operation. "I think it's important to recognize the media landscape has changed, to bring in new voices, to shake things up," Carney said at an ROKK Solutions event last month when asked about the new media seat. "I think that's admirable," Carney continued. "Everybody can learn from that."
