Karoline Leavitt recalls the day an ‘angel mom’ left the White House press corps silent 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will never forget the day a mother took the spotlight at a press briefing in April and left the press pool speechless.

On April 16, Leavitt stood beside Patty Morin, a mother who shared the tragic story of her daughter Rachel’s rape and murder by an illegal immigrant in Maryland in 2023.

“It was an emotionally heavy day,” Leavitt told The Lion last week. “It was a very sad day, and I was so proud to stand next to Patty as a mother.

“I cannot imagine walking in her shoes and feeling what she feels every day, the heartbreak and the anguish over the loss of her daughter. And to just stand beside her as she shared so eloquently, the story of her daughter’s life and her tragic death was something I will never forget.” 

When the mother finished, the whole room was silent. 

“That was a first,” Leavitt said. 

While telling the world the story of her daughter’s death at the press briefing, Morin, who is now raising her five grandchildren, never expressed anger despite the tragedy her family endured. 

“She’s a woman of God and a woman of faith, and that has helped her through some of that anger and hurt that she initially experienced,” Leavitt said. “But she’s using her voice for good, and she is changing the world. I told her that you’re changing the hearts and minds of people around the world with your words and in your daughter’s story. And God bless her for doing it.” 

After Morin shared her story in the presser, Leavitt pivoted to broader points on public safety and illegal immigration. The man who killed Morin’s daughter had a deportation order from the United States but had remained in the country. 

Leavitt noted the American people overwhelmingly support deporting criminal illegal immigrants. She said a recent CBS poll showed 89% of Americans support deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records. 

“Eighty-nine percent! You can’t get much more public support for policy than deportations of illegal criminals,” Leavitt told The Lion. “That’s what this administration is doing. So we are not going to waver. We are not going to cave. We are not going to apologize for doing what the American public want us to do, and for enforcing our nation’s immigration laws.” 

Other issues Leavitt addressed during the interview included taxes, trade, parental rights and transgender athletes in women’s sports. 

Leavitt slammed Biden amid recent reports saying he opposes males in women’s sports behind closed doors, even though he did nothing about it in four years as president. 

“He pushed it anyway, because the far-left has completely captivated the Democrat party,” Leavitt said. “So you have a major party in this country that is pushing for men competing against women in sports. It makes no sense, and they know it. President Biden knew it, but he lacked the courage to actually say it or do something about it.” 

Leavitt contrasted Biden with President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order directing federal agencies to withhold funding from states and schools that let males compete in women’s sports. 

“President Trump has the courage to do what’s right. He is making common sense common again,” she said. 

“This is a safety issue for women,” she added. “It’s a privacy issue as well, and I know that there are millions of women across the country who are cheering President Trump on in this fight.”