Fact Check: Karoline Leavitt didn't say, 'Avoid woke things like math, and you'll love the tariffs'
Claim:
An image circulating online in April 2025 authentically showed a screenshot from a Fox News interview with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that displayed a chyron reading: "Leavitt: 'Avoid woke things like math, and you'll love the tariffs.'"
Rating:
In April 2025, an image circulated on social media that purportedly showed a screenshot from a Fox News interview featuring White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (archived). The screenshot contained a chyron at the bottom of the screen that read: "Leavitt: 'Avoid woke things like math, and you'll love the tariffs.'"
The image appeared on Instagram, Bluesky, Reddit, 9GAG, Threads, iFunny and Tumblr, where social media users seemed to take it at face value. On X, one user, whose post (archived) had amassed more than 2.7 million views as of this writing, captioned the image: "Math is woke and is to be avoided."
Highlight by u/Airas8 in PoliticalCompassMemes
While some social media users believed the screenshot was genuine and criticized Leavitt's supposed remarks, others questioned its authenticity.
However, the image was manipulated. It originated as a screenshot of a genuine Fox News interview with Leavitt, but the chyron displayed at the bottom of the screen featuring the alleged quote had been superimposed onto the screenshot. The original chyron read: "One-on-one with Karoline Leavitt." Therefore, we have rated the image as fake.
The image originated from a Feb. 10, 2025, Fox News interview with Leavitt. It can be found on Fox News' website and is also available on the Fox News YouTube channel under the title: "Karoline Leavitt: Democrats learned nothing from their devastating defeat."
(foxnews.com)
At no point during the interview did the White House press secretary say people will love the tariffs if they "avoid woke things like math," nor did she make any similar statement. Additionally, a Google search found no reports from any credible news outlet supporting the claim.
In addition to the fabricated quote, the fake screenshot showed several inconsistencies that suggested it was digitally altered. For instance, the font was a different style from, and slightly thicker than, the one typically used by Fox News, as was the format of the text.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the doctored screenshot (on the left) and the original (on the right). As can be seen, the original chyron read: "One-on-one with Karoline Leavitt."
(X user @YourAnonNews, foxnews.com)
It was not possible to definitively state the source of the manipulated version of the screenshot.
Leavitt has served as both a subject and a source of questionable rumors, a selection of which is detailed in this collection.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_UuMliFPQ. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
---. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_UuMliFPQ. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
"Karoline Leavitt: Democrats Are so Incredibly out of Touch | Fox News Video." Fox News, 11 Feb. 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368627974112.
Rascouët-Paz, Anna. "10 Rumors Involving Karoline Leavitt, Trump's White House Press Secretary." Snopes, 15 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/karoline-leavitt-trump-rumors/.
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