Candace Owens, known for her conservative viewpoints and provocative style, took a controversial step by personally targeting the White House press secretary on Tuesday.
Owens, who is a prominent critic of the United States’ involvement in Iran, shared an unflattering photo of Karoline Leavitt on the social media platform X. The image was accompanied by a statement from Donald Trump’s spokesperson earlier this month, in which Owens wrote: “TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.”
Leavitt had made her comment on X in response to an ABC News report, which suggested that Iran might launch drone attacks on California in retaliation for a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran the previous month.
Owens shared the image and quote with the caption: ‘Unserious administration’.
The photograph of Leavitt, highlighted with noticeable lip fillers and poor lighting, was originally part of a Vanity Fair article from December that examined senior officials in the Trump administration.
Many users on X were quick to criticize Owens for omitting the complete context behind Leavitt’s statement.
YouTuber Joey Salads reacted by urging Owens to “show the whole thing,” indicating that doing so would undermine her argument. The Steak for Breakfast Podcast also responded to Owens’s post, referring to her as a “grifter” in a derogatory manner.
Owens’s direct attack on Leavitt was shocking, given that both she and Leavitt’s careers benefited from the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Candace Owens took a political attack to a personal level with a jab at the White House press secretary
The image of Karoline Leavitt, shot in unflattering lighting, was included in a December Vanity Fair exposé about senior Trump administration officials
Leavitt has heralded Kirk as a key mentor during her political rise, including his support of her congressional campaign in New Hampshire in 2022.
The White House press secretary still appears to enjoy a close relationship with the Turning Point USA organization.
Leavitt is scheduled to appear at an event with Kirk’s widow, Erika, who has taken over leadership of the non-profit after her husband’s murder.
Erika and Leavitt will appear at George Washington University as part of TPUSA’s This Is The Turning Point Tour on April 2 at 6.30pm.
Owens herself is also scheduled to appear at a DC event this week.
The podcaster will take the stage at the Catholics For Catholics 3rd annual Catholic Prayer For America Gala on Thursday in Washington, DC.
Although Catholics For Catholics has partnered with Turning Point USA in the past, the group does not appear to be involved in this event or Owens’s speech.
Owens will also interview former Trump Administration national security official Joe Kent at the March 19 event.
Shortly after the killing of her former friend, boss, and mentor, Charlie Kirk, Owens appeared to explicitly blame members of President Trump’s administration for Kirk’s murder.
‘He gave so much of his life to Trump and to politics, and they were just like NOPE. That’s it,’ Owens said during an October episode of her show.
Leavitt’s original comment, posted on X, came as a response to an ABC News story, which had warned that Iran could attack California
Leavitt is scheduled to appear at a TPUSA event with Kirk’s widow, Erika, next month
The White House spokesman will be at the This Is The Turning Point Tour in DC on April 2
‘So here’s a holiday. What is with them giving them a holiday after they kill them? As soon as they give you a holiday, they definitely killed you. There’s no question – they killed you.’
A spokesman for Owens denied at the time that she had suggested Trump killed Kirk.
‘Candace never stated that Trump killed Kirk. If you spent the time to watch her full episode, instead of regurgitating a distorted clip that Candace’s opposition paid someone to post, you would know Candace was questioning the FBI covering up Kirk’s death – just as the FBI covered up for MLK’s murder, then the government gave MLK a holiday and a boulevard,’ he said.
After being snubbed from speaking at Kirk’s memorial in Arizona last year, Owens stated that the memorial event, attended by nearly 100,000 people, was ‘being controlled by the White House.’
‘Why would I be invited by anyone in Trump’s Zionist administration, as I am speaking about the topics that I am speaking… It’s common sense they’re not going to allow me to share the stage,’ Owens added at the time.
Kirk was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson, 22, a left-wing college dropout, has been charged with his murder.
