After Jon Stewart’s brutal ‘Pinocchio cross’ jab, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt quietly shelves the necklace
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt drew attention this week after she appeared at her Tuesday briefing without her familiar cross necklace—just one day after becoming the target of a pointed monologue from Daily Show host Jon Stewart.
Leavitt, dressed in a navy blazer, stood at the podium without the signature piece of jewelry that she’s often seen wearing. The change came right on the heels of Stewart’s Monday night segment, in which he openly mocked her for perceived dishonesty.
“By the way, I think that the more she lies, the bigger her cross gets. Is that possible? It’s like some sort of weird Pinocchio cross,” Stewart joked, taking aim at her faith-based image.
The comedian continued his takedown by questioning Leavitt’s values, suggesting that while many in the administration may face political damage, she could walk away untouched.
“She’s likely to be the only one who will be able to leave the administration unscathed … Because I don’t think that she has any principles in there left to die,” he said, adding a final jab:
“I’m not even upset with this lady. Because just rolling with the punches is clearly the only strategy for happiness when you’re working for Trump.”
The visual absence of the cross on Tuesday raised eyebrows, particularly given Leavitt’s previous public statements about the deep role her Christian faith plays in her life.
Earlier this year, she told the Christian Broadcasting Network:
“My faith is incredibly important to me, I would argue, now more than ever, being in a role that is very demanding and at times controversial, and there’s a lot of public pressure and discussion online about who you are and your family.”
She added:
“It could be difficult for someone who doesn’t have faith, but with faith, all things are possible.”
But Leavitt hasn’t been free of controversy. In April, she faced intense backlash for statements she made about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who had been mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
During that incident, Leavitt drew a connection between Garcia and the tragic 2023 rape and murder of a Maryland woman—a case whose perpetrator was convicted the same month.
“He will never live in the United States again,” she stated about Garcia.
Critics quickly responded, accusing her of distorting facts. On The New Abnormal podcast, commentator Andy Levy didn’t hold back:
“She gets up there, and, with a cross around her neck, she lies. She violates the ninth commandment about not bearing false witness,” Levy said. “She sits up there and says over and over again that Garcia was a member of the MS 13 gang. She takes it a step further, and she says that this was a finding of an immigration court. It absolutely was not.”
Meanwhile, Stewart capped off his segment with a broader swipe at Trump’s motivations, suggesting that the culture Leavitt is defending is driven purely by vanity and greed.
“Trump’s very open secret has always been: He doesn’t believe in or care about any policy issue at all. He wants attention, he wants his ego stroked, and he wants money. He wants fwads and fwads of money,” Stewart said.
While it’s unclear whether the missing cross necklace was intentional or coincidental, its absence didn’t go unnoticed amid the swirling public discourse about image, faith, and truthfulness.
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