Fox News' Leavitt Sparks Outrage, Claiming Americans 'Forgot' They 'Got More Money in Their Pockets'

Karoline Leavitt has claimed Americans 'forgot' they 'got more money in their pockets' under President Donald Trump, as Republicans absorbed heavy losses in Tuesday's midterm elections. Speaking on Fox News on Tuesday night, the former White House press secretary argued that voters had overlooked the administration's economic record and blamed the media instead.

Her comments came as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress, according to results reported by the Daily Mail. Leavitt, now a Fox News commentator, said the party had no answer on affordability and suggested the public had been misled about the president's policies.

'The Democrats don't have a single policy solution when it comes to affordability, and unfortunately, I think the American people are going to find out that,' she said.

Leavitt's Claim on Trump's Tax Cuts

Leavitt pointed to the rise in petrol prices since the US operation in Iran, describing it as short-term pain tied to the president's effort to stop Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon. She recalled saying at the podium that petrol cost $1.99 (€1.85 and £1.58) a gallon in states such as Colorado before the operation began.

'And that was because of his energy dominance plan, not the Democrats,' she said.

She then argued that voters had forgotten the benefits of Trump's tax cuts. 'They got more money in their pockets because of the president's tax cuts that Democrats voted against,' Leavitt said.

Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov pushed back during the exchange. 'They know how much money they have,' she said.

'They don't,' Leavitt replied.

The claim sits awkwardly beside the mood outside the studio. The national average price of a gallon of petrol now stands at $4.12 (€3.83 and £3.27), up from $3.05 (€2.84 and £2.42) a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association. That is a wild gap between political messaging and what many voters appear to feel at the pump.

Vance Points to Iran War

Vice President JD Vance offered a blunter diagnosis on Wednesday. In a lengthy post on X, he wrote, 'The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.'

Vance said turnout was not the main problem for Republicans. He argued that many people who backed Trump and him in 2024 voted again in 2026, but switched to the Democrats.

He cited an unnamed pollster's findings that defecting voters wanted Republicans to end the Iran war, focus on the cost of living and inflation, put 'America first' and change the country's relationship with Israel. IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the polling cited by Vance.

Trump also acknowledged the conflict had played a part in the result. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, he said he had no regrets about the operation in Iran.

'I did the right thing. I would have done it again,' he said.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday evening, the president took a different line, claiming Republicans lost because he was not on the ballot. 'I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!' he wrote.

Leavitt's insistence that Americans simply forgot their gains may reassure loyalists. Whether it persuades the voters who deserted the party is another matter.