Politics
Karoline Leavitt Drops Religious Necklace After Stewart’s Jab: ‘The More She Lies, the Bigger Her Cross Gets’
By Jake Beardslee · June 4, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared at Tuesday’s briefing without her usual cross necklace, one day after comedian Jon Stewart mocked her during an episode of The Daily Show for wearing the jewelry while allegedly spreading misinformation.
During the segment, Stewart remarked, “By the way, I think that the more she lies, the bigger her cross gets. Is that possible? It’s like some sort of weird Pinocchio cross.”
Stewart also commented on her place in the Trump administration, saying, “I think she’s the only one who’s going to be able to leave the administration unscathed… Because I don’t think that she has any principles in there left to die.” He added, “I’m not even upset with this lady. Because just rolling with the punches is clearly the only strategy for happiness when you’re working for Trump.”
Criticizing President Donald Trump’s motives more broadly, Stewart said, “Trump’s very open secret has always been: He doesn’t believe in or care about any policy issue at all. He wants attention, he wants his ego stroked, and he wants money.”
Leavitt, 27, has previously emphasized the importance of her Christian faith. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, she said, “My faith is incredibly important to me, I would argue, now more than ever, being in a role that is very demanding and at times controversial, and there’s a lot of public pressure and discussion online about who you are and your family.” She added, “It could be difficult for someone who doesn’t have faith, but with faith, all things are possible.”
Andy Levy, speaking on The New Abnormal podcast in April, criticized Leavitt, stating, “She gets up there, and, with a cross around her neck, she lies. She violates the ninth commandment about not bearing false witness. She sits up there and says over and over again that Garcia was a member of the MS 13 gang. She takes it a step further, and she says that this was a finding of an immigration court. It absolutely was not.”