Conservative provocateur Candace Owens took a political attack to a personal level with a jab at White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday.
Owens, a top right-wing critic of the American intervention in Iran, posted an unflattering image of Leavitt on X, overlaid with a statement from the White House spokeswoman from earlier this month where she wrote: ‘TO BE CLEAR: No such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.’
Leavitt’s comment came as a response to an ABC News story which warned that Iran could attack California with drones as a response to the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran last month.
Owens posted the image and quote with the caption: ‘Unserious administration’.
The image of Leavitt, with obvious marks from lip filler, and shot in unflattering lighting, was included in a Vanity Fair exposé about senior Trump officials in December.
Users on X were quick to call out Owens for not providing the full context of Leavitt’s comment.
YouTuber Joey Salads wrote ‘Show the whole thing – it actually destroys your entire narrative.’ The Steak for Breakfast Podcast quoted Owens’ post calling her a ‘r****d grifter.’
Owens’ 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 attends the ‘The Greatest Lie Ever Sold’ Premiere Screening on October 12, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee
The image of Leavitt, with obvious marks from lip filler, and shot in unflattering lighting, was included in a lengthy Vanity Fair expose about senior Trump administration officials, which was published in December of 2025
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 Charlie’s murder.
Erika and Leavitt will appear at George Washington University as part of TPUSA’s This Is The Turning Point Tour on April 2nd at 6:30 pm.
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, March 19, in Washington, DC.
Although Catholics For Catholics has partnered with Turning Point USA in the past, the group does not appear to have any involvement with this event or Owens’ 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.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt looks on as she speaks to reporters on the West Wing driveway at the White House in Washington, March 18
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt walks to the West Wing following an interview at the White House in Washington on Wednesday
Personal aide to President Donald Trump Walt Nauta, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House aide Natalie Harp watch President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Wednesday
‘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 assassination.
