Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, faced sharp questioning from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during a tense press briefing, where she defended the administration’s stance on the ongoing federal government shutdown. Collins challenged Leavitt over claims that local officials in Portland had called for National Guard assistance, citing statements from the city’s police chief. Leavitt dismissed the reporter’s claims, urging journalists to “go on the ground” and witness the “anarchy” unfolding, which she described as “complete civil disobedience” fueled by “mayhem and havoc.”

Leavitt emphasized that independent journalists, not those present at the briefing, had documented the unrest, urging CNN to air footage of the violence. She accused Democratic officials of being “partisan Democrat officials who are opposed to everything this president does,” while highlighting community concerns from Portland residents. Collins countered that the police chief was not a political candidate, but Leavitt maintained her position, framing the protests as destructive and unrepresentative of peaceful dissent.

The press secretary also addressed the government shutdown, blaming Democrats for “inflicting pain on American citizens” by refusing to reopen agencies. She criticized the Democratic proposal to fund the government, which would allocate $200 billion over a decade for healthcare for undocumented individuals, calling it an “indefensible and radical policy.” Leavitt reiterated that Republicans had passed a “clean and nonpartisan funding bill” to keep the government operational, but Democrats had blocked its passage in both the House and Senate.

Leavitt warned that continued shutdowns could lead to federal worker layoffs, with the Office of Management and Budget preparing for potential furloughs. She also dismissed questions about President Trump’s direct outreach to Democratic senators, stating he was “being kept very well apprised” of developments but had not personally contacted specific lawmakers. On healthcare policy, she defended the administration’s adherence to legal mandates while stressing the need to prioritize reopening the government.

The press briefing concluded with Leavitt urging Americans to contact their representatives, asserting that “Democrats should do what they did 13 separate times under Joe Biden and vote for this exact same type of funding bill.” The session underscored the administration’s relentless criticism of Democratic leadership and its efforts to frame the shutdown as a political tactic rather than a policy dispute.