White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been defended by Nigel Farage after she launched a tirade against a reporter during a press briefing. Leavitt called Niall Stanage, a columnist for The Hill, a 'leftwing hack' and 'activist' following a question about the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent.
Stanage had asked how the Trump administration's defence of ICE agents squared with the death of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, who was shot in the head during a raid in Minneapolis. He cited statistics showing 32 people died in ICE custody last year and 170 US citizens were detained by ICE.
Leavitt responded by accusing Stanage of bias and telling him he should focus on Americans killed by 'illegal' immigrants. She named Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray as examples of victims. The Trump administration has defended the ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, claiming self-defence, though video analysis suggests Good's car did not strike him.
The incident has sparked protests in Minneapolis, with Governor Tim Walz calling on President Trump to 'turn the temperature down' and stop a 'campaign of retribution'. Farage, a prominent Brexiteer and ally of Trump, backed Leavitt, praising her for standing up to what he called biased media.
