White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Mocked for ‘Grocery Pump’ Flub and Questioned Over Elon Musk’s Government Access
(The White House/Youtube)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced ridicule on Wednesday after an awkward slip during a press briefing, where she mistakenly referred to the “grocery pump” while discussing inflation and food prices.
The gaffe occurred when Leavitt was asked when Americans could expect grocery prices to decline. Instead of providing a clear response, she seemingly combined “gas pump” and “grocery store” into a term that immediately became the subject of online mockery.
Within just 15 minutes, a parody account named “Grocery Pump” appeared on the social media platform Blue Sky. Its bio humorously claimed concern that “eggs are reaching $500 a gallon.”
Critics quickly seized on Leavitt’s mistake, with former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele mocking the Trump administration’s economic promises.
“But ‘on day one…’!! Trump told us ‘I won on groceries. A very simple word, groceries… We’re going to bring those prices way down.’ I want my prices at the ‘grocery pump’ to go down NOW! I can’t afford the eggs I need to put into my tank,” Steele joked on X.
Others took a more serious tone, criticizing the administration’s lack of a clear economic strategy.
“We are still being given that Trump has ‘concepts of a plan’ while he is IN office! There is no plan. He will continue to blame Biden on inflation for the next four years,” wrote Chamber of Progress director of economic analysis Tahra Jiraiya.
Former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Haudricourt also chimed in, taking aim at Leavitt’s handling of the press.
“White House Barbie will have a complete meltdown one day, mark my word. The constant lying and avoiding direct answers cannot hold up under scrutiny. She is in over her head.”
A junior project manager at NBC News added a lighthearted jab:
“The grocery pump? Okay, that’s a new one. Tell me you’ve never been inside a grocery store without telling me.”
This isn’t the first time Leavitt has faced criticism for her handling of economic questions. Previously, she blamed rising egg prices on mass chicken culling under the Biden administration, a claim widely disputed by experts.
Leavitt also came under fire for comments about Elon Musk’s involvement in government coding. During the briefing, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked if Musk’s coders had “read-only access” to government systems.
Leavitt responded, “Yes.”
Doocy followed up: “So they are not allowed to write new code?”
“No,” Leavitt replied.
Skeptics online quickly questioned her answer, with one user calling it a “hard-boiled lie.”
Former BuzzFeed tech reporter Max Wolf added, “I suspect ‘not allowed to write new code’ is leaving relevant wiggle room.”
As the backlash continues, Leavitt’s credibility as the administration’s spokesperson faces growing scrutiny.
