"Why Are You Running Away?" and "What's Going On!" New White House Press Secretary's Bizarre Debut... Reporters Left Speechless Amid Slip-ups and Fake Resume Suspicions (Trump NOW)

Newly appointed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been embroiled in controversy over her background.

She claimed to have obtained a law license in China, but non-citizens are not actually able to acquire a law license in China.

The Washington Post (WP) reported that during her first briefing held on October 13 (local time), Press Secretary Leavitt responded "China" when asked where she acquired her law license.

President Donald Trump stated that Leavitt was a lawyer at the time of her appointment, and her LinkedIn profile also lists her as having worked as a legal executive at the non-profit organization Fix California.

To work as a lawyer in the United States, one must obtain a bar license in the respective state.

However, when asked whether Leavitt had ever practiced law in the United States, the White House avoided specific comments, stating only that after graduation she moved to China following her husband's posting and handled international trade law matters there.

In connection with this, the WP pointed out that foreigners cannot work as lawyers in China, making the status of her law license unclear.

The WP further noted that her competency for the role of press secretary is also in question.

During her first briefing that day, she stammered while reading her prepared statement and was only able to answer three questions from reporters.

In addition, to a Fox News question asking whether the Trump administration had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, she failed to give a clear answer, saying she would "get back on that."

The WP evaluated that given how halting intelligence sharing with Ukraine had been a major topic of discussion since that morning, Leavitt's ambiguous response was rather unusual.

Leavitt also made a ridiculous slip of the tongue while answering a question related to her personal life.

When asked how she plans to balance work and family life, Leavitt responded that her husband was in Washington all week to spend time with the kids, but mistakenly said "my president" instead of "my husband" before correcting herself.

CNN also reported that following her first briefing, questions were raised even within the White House regarding how long Leavitt can hold the position of press secretary.

One official described her first briefing as "brutal." There are also assessments that her job performance may not satisfy President Trump.

There are also claims that her appointment as press secretary and her first briefing happened so abruptly that she did not have time to properly prepare.

According to multiple sources, White House aides, including Susie Wiles, were only notified of the decision the night before President Trump announced Leavitt's appointment on October 9.

One close aide to President Trump told CNN, "She should have had two weeks of mock pressure-testing before going on stage."

However, President Trump remarked after the briefing that she did "very well."

Reported by JIN Sang-myeong | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.