Karoline Leavitt Admits ‘The President Likes to Have a Little Fun’ During Briefing Exchange Over Federal Layoffs

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted that President Donald Trump “likes to have a little fun” when questioned about why the president posted an image of the Grim Reaper in reference to federal layoffs at Friday’s press briefing.

“Democrats have given this administration an unenviable choice to have to take a look at the balance sheet and identify where these cuts and layoffs can be made,” said Leavitt of the federal layoffs Trump has proposed in the wake of Wednesday’s government shutdown.

“You just said that this is an unenviable choice,” said ABC’s Mary Bruce. “But the president has described this as an unprecedented opportunity to lay off additional workers. He posted a video likening [Office of Management and Budget chief] Russell Vought to the Grim Reaper. So which is this? Is this an opportunity to fire more workers or an unfortunate consequence?”

“Look, the president likes to have a little fun every now and then, and I think both things can be true at the same time. The Democrats have given the administration this opportunity, and we don’t like laying people off. Nobody takes joy in that around here,” she said. “Sometimes in government, you have to make tough decisions.”

In a Thursday post to Truth Social, Trump wrote that he is meeting with Vought to “determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”

He continued, saying, “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”