‘Lockstep on false narratives’: Podcaster roasts legacy media at first White House press briefing

Podcaster Tim Pool came out swinging during his first White House press briefing, launching an attack on the legacy media with his first question.

“Many of the news organization that are represented in this room have marched in lockstep on false narratives, such as the ‘very fine people’ hoax, the Covington smear, and now what’s being called the ‘Maryland man’ hoax – where an MS-13 gang member, adjudicated by two different judges, I believe, is just simply being referred to as a ‘Maryland man’ over and over again,” Pool said when White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called on him Tuesday.

“In an effort from the White House to expand access to new companies, you’ve created this ‘new media’ seat,” he continued. “So I’m wondering if you can comment on… numerous outlets disparag(ing) the companies that you’ve had sit here, as well as the reporters. 

“I’m wondering if you can comment on that unprofessional behavior, as well as elaborate on if there’s any plans to expand access to new companies.” 

Leavitt, who had just finished introducing Pool, host of the daily Timcast IRL show and weekly The Culture War podcast, said the administration “certainly welcome(s) diverse viewpoints in this room, which is one of the reasons we have you in here, and there’s many new faces in this room in comparison to the previous administrations.” 

She then agreed with Pool’s assessment of the media’s handling of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant and reputed MS-13 gang member who was deported to his native El Salvador. Democrat politicians have campaigned to have him returned to the United States, despite his lack of citizenship, alleged gang ties and a prior restraining order requested by his now wife. 

“It is despicable to see the media continue to refer to this individual as someone who is just a peaceful man living his life in Maryland,” Leavitt said. “This is, was and always has been, an illegal criminal, an MS-13 gang member and a designated foreign terrorist, and the administration maintains our position to deport these individuals from our community. So thank you for being here. Tim, it’s great to see you.” 

Leavitt’s response led to accusations that Pool had launched a softball question intended to make the administration look good, a charge he vehemently denied. 

“The point that I was bringing up … to the press secretary was that the media in this room is largely composed of an incurious, uncurious group of people who do not investigate; and they use each other as sources and say the same narrative,” Pool said later on his show. “Not a single one of them is concerned about the fact that they didn’t actually pull the court documents (of Abrego) and that they’re falsely representing that this man is quote ‘from Maryland,’ and it is so egregious. 

“What offends me is that these journalists in the room, they march in lockstep on lies,” he added, repeating the three he listed in his question. “But how about the (COVID-19) lab leak hoax? How about the drinking bleach hoax? How many times are they going to all-in-unison lie about what’s going on? 

“So my frustration is when they bring in but one chair, one chair for someone like me to sit in, the New York Times, Politico, numerous journalists from various outlets all begin disparaging us, as if what really matters to those people is that their sick club of lying sycophants pretend like they’re speaking truth to power, in which case, when I say these large, massive multimedia corporations are lying to the American people, it’s a softball.” 

Liberals including Harry Sisson, a left-wing TikTok creator and influencer, criticized Pool for not wearing a suit, especially since the podcaster publicly took issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s casual dress while meeting with President Donald Trump. 

But the podcaster responded, “No, Harry, you don’t get it. I intentionally did not dress up for these dirty dirty smear merchants,” adding, “When I met Trump I wore a suit.” 

The hubbub highlights the growing role of new and alternative media, including The Lion, at a time when the legacy media’s grip on the American public is loosening. 

A Gallup Poll before the November election found 36% of Americans had “no trust at all” in the mass media, and 33% expressed “not very much” confidence in it, record lows for traditional news outlets. 

Trump’s White House has responded in kind, restoring 440 press passes revoked by the Biden administration, increasing access for new media outlets and removing the Associated Press’ guaranteed seat in the press room because of its liberal bias.