Leavitt: Tariffs Will “Make America Rich Again”; Democrats’ Joint Address Behavior “Most Shameful in History”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered one of the most comprehensive and combative briefings of the Trump second term on March 5, 2025, defending tariffs as part of a “whole-of-government economic approach” that would “ultimately make America rich again,” praising Trump for telling “the truth about the reality of the economic situation” unlike Biden who “lied to everybody’s faces,” and calling Democrats’ behavior during the joint address “the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses in that beautiful chamber.” Leavitt catalogued specific moments Democrats refused to applaud and concluded that they had “exposed themselves as the party of insanity and hate."

"Tariffs Will Make America Rich Again”

Leavitt opened the economic segment by channeling Trump’s own enthusiasm for trade policy.

“The President does love tariffs. He said it’s one of his favorite words in the English dictionary,” Leavitt said. “And he believes in tariffs because they’ll ultimately make America rich again.”

She outlined the three functions tariffs would serve: “They’re going to raise revenue. They’re going to help us pay down our debt. Most importantly, they’re going to bring American jobs back home.”

Leavitt then addressed the Wall Street anxiety that had accompanied the tariff announcements. “For folks on Wall Street who may be concerned, look at what this President did for you in his first term,” she said. “Wall Street boomed. Stock market boomed. The President expects that to happen again.”

She pivoted to the broader constituency: “But most importantly, Main Street is going to boom.”

Leavitt described the integrated strategy. “That’s why the President has this whole-of-government economic approach, which includes tax cuts, tariffs, regulation cuts, and an energy industry that will bring down costs for American consumers,” she said.

The four-part framework — tax cuts, tariffs, deregulation, and energy — was the most concise summary of the administration’s economic platform. Each element reinforced the others: tax cuts increased consumer spending power, tariffs protected domestic industry, deregulation reduced costs for businesses, and energy production lowered the input costs that affected every sector.

”Refreshing Honesty”

Leavitt defended Trump’s candid assessment of the economic challenges during the joint address.

“Frankly, it’s very refreshing. And everybody in this room should be very grateful that we have a president who tells the truth about the reality of the economic situation that we are in,” Leavitt said.

She drew the contrast with Biden: “Unlike the previous president, who lied to everybody’s faces, saying inflation was transitory, saying it was under control, saying that the border was secure — when none of that was true.”

Leavitt then addressed the disruption that reform necessarily entailed. “The American people elected this President to have monumental reform and change, including rebuilding our manufacturing base in this country, standing up to foreign nations who have been ripping off our country for decades,” she said. “And that requires a little bit of disruption. That requires a lot of effort and work that this President is focused on doing.”

The acknowledgment that reform “requires a little bit of disruption” was a rare moment of honest expectation-setting. Leavitt was not promising painless change; she was saying the change was worth the disruption, and that voters had elected Trump knowing disruption was part of the package.

The Legislative Ask: Tax Cuts for Working Americans

Leavitt connected the speech to the specific congressional action the administration needed.

“Look at the President’s push last night in his speech for Congress to pass tax cuts, to end taxes on Social Security and overtime pay for hardworking Americans, end taxes on tips,” Leavitt said. “We need Congress to get that done, because that’s going to put more money back into the pockets of the American people.”

She added the energy dimension: “Look at the President’s approach and focus on unleashing the might of our energy industry. We know that’s the number one driver of inflation.”

Leavitt concluded the economic section with the guarantee: “He said he is committed to making America affordable again. He did it in his first term, and Americans can trust him to do it again."

"Most Shameful Moment in History”

Leavitt then delivered the most extensive critique of Democratic behavior during the joint address that any White House press secretary had offered after such an event.

“The behavior of Democrats last night was completely disgraceful and demonstrated how severely out of touch they are with the American public,” Leavitt said. “It was the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses in that beautiful chamber.”

She described the scene: “What was supposed to be a unifying moment for our country, Democrat members of Congress instead screamed at the President of the United States, who was just overwhelmingly reelected by their constituents.”

Leavitt then walked through specific moments where Democrats refused to applaud, each more politically damaging than the last.

“Democrats didn’t stand to keep men out of women’s sports. They couldn’t even clap for a girl who got her head smashed in by a man on a volleyball court,” Leavitt said.

“Democrats didn’t stand for an innocent and beautiful child who is surviving brain cancer.” The reference was to DJ Daniel.

“They opposed eliminating taxes on tips and Social Security. They didn’t stand in favor of cutting taxes for hardworking Americans.”

“They couldn’t even clap for two mothers whose daughters were killed by illegal aliens.”

Then the most pointed observation: “One of the only things that could get Democrats off their feet last night was cheering for Ukraine. Not for America.”

The Ukraine contrast was devastating. Democrats who had refused to stand for American crime victims, American cancer patients, and American tax relief had risen to their feet to cheer for a foreign country. The image of Democrats prioritizing Ukraine over their own constituents was exactly the kind of moment that confirmed the “America Last” narrative the administration had been building.

”The Party of Insanity and Hate”

Leavitt delivered her closing verdict. “Last night was a very clarifying moment for our country,” she said. “The Democrats exposed themselves as the party of insanity and hate, the party that wants to put America last.”

She concluded: “They’ve allowed their Trump Derangement Syndrome to stop them from celebrating America and our people. And we will not allow them to forget that.”

The “clarifying moment” framing was strategically important. Leavitt was arguing that the joint address had not merely been a presidential speech but a test of character for both parties — a test that Democrats had failed publicly and irrevocably.

Key Takeaways

• Leavitt said tariffs would “make America rich again” by raising revenue, paying down debt, and bringing jobs home, as part of a “whole-of-government” approach with tax cuts, deregulation, and energy.
• She praised Trump for honesty about the economy “unlike Biden, who lied to everybody’s faces,” and acknowledged that “monumental reform requires a little bit of disruption.”
• Leavitt called Democrats’ joint address behavior “the most shameful moment in the history of presidential addresses,” cataloguing their refusal to applaud crime victims, cancer patients, and tax cuts.
• She noted “one of the only things that could get Democrats off their feet was cheering for Ukraine — not for America.”
• Leavitt concluded Democrats had “exposed themselves as the party of insanity and hate, the party that wants to put America last.”