Karoline Leavitt responds to Bad Bunny and the Grammy stars for their immigration stance
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mocked “elitist” celebrities who spoke out against President Donald Trump and his immigrant deportation agenda during a politically charged edition of the Grammy Awards last Sunday.
“I think it’s very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, with millions of dollars to spend on protecting themselves, simply trying to demonize the authorities,” he said.
During the Grammys, an A-list of music artists, including Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Joni Mitchell, reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement for wearing badges that read “ICE OUT.” Several of the night’s big winners also used their time on stage to criticize the agency and defend immigrants.
Among the most notable critics was Album of the Year winner Bad Bunny, who received a 30-second standing ovation as he began his first acceptance speech of the night by urging immigration agents to back off.
“We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans,” said the Puerto Rican superstar.
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Leavitt painted the political statements as a clear example of Hollywood hypocrisy, then invoked the names of two people who were murdered by undocumented immigrants during President Joe Biden’s administration.
“This same type of celebrity uproar was not heard in Hollywood when the previous administration allowed an invasion of our nation’s borders and allowed innocent women and girls like Jocelyn Nungaray and Laken Riley to be murdered, raped and murdered at the hands of people who should never have been in our country to begin with.”
Leavitt also sought to improve the reputation of ICE agents and Trump’s crackdown on deportations.
“Now we have law enforcement that is simply trying to do its job to eliminate violent predators like those who took the lives of innocent Americans,” he said. “There was no uproar from Hollywood or the elite crowd at the Grammys then, but there is now, and I think that speaks to the unfortunate irony we’re seeing in Hollywood.”