WASHINGTON — Karoline Leavitt, the 27-year-old who made history in January 2025 as the youngest-ever White House Press Secretary, is at the center of an online controversy fueled by misinformation. A recent viral video falsely claimed that Leavitt told Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Black congresswoman, to “Go back to Africa” on a C-SPAN hot mic — but multiple fact-checking outlets have confirmed that the incident never occurred.
The rumor began circulating in late April, originating from a YouTube video titled “Karoline Leavitt INSULTS Jasmine Crockett ‘Go Back to Africa’—But Her Response Shocks All Of America.” The video featured a collage image of Leavitt and Crockett, accompanied by a voiceover narration alleging that Leavitt made the racist comment without realizing her microphone was live.
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According to Snopes, the entire story was fabricated. Not only did the video include a disclaimer at the start stating it was fictional, but it also featured another warning in the description: “The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment.” The voice in the video was generated using artificial intelligence tools, not actual footage or audio from any official event.
No credible news outlets or official records confirmed any such interaction between Leavitt and Crockett. Searches across platforms like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo yielded no reports of the alleged comment. Additionally, C-SPAN — the network purported to have broadcast the hot mic moment — has made no statement or correction regarding such an incident, according to Fox News.
The false claim, however, spread quickly across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky, illustrating the power of AI-generated misinformation in shaping public narratives.
While dealing with the fallout from the rumor, Leavitt has continued her work as a vocal spokesperson for the Trump administration. On April 21, she appeared on Fox & Friends to criticize Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen for using taxpayer money to visit El Salvador in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported immigrant.
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“He is an illegal alien, a foreign terrorist, and a criminal MS-13 gang member who violated our country’s laws by coming here in the first place,” Leavitt stated.
She went further, accusing Democrats of prioritizing a “criminal over American citizens,” and added, “Shame on Senator Chris Van Hollen and the entire Democratic Party, who wasted Easter Sunday going on every television show in the country to advocate for the return of an illegal criminal gang member.”
Despite online attacks, Leavitt’s profile in Washington continues to grow, as does the scrutiny that comes with it.
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