Fact check: Did Karolyn Leavit tell trader to sit down boy?

1. Summary of the results

The claim that Karoline Leavitt told a trader to "sit down, boy" has been thoroughly debunked by multiple fact-checking sources. The analyses reveal that this incident never occurred and the videos circulating on social media are fabricated.

Snopes definitively states that the videos surfaced on social media are AI-generated and there is no evidence to support the assertion that Leavitt had spoken to Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré in this manner or at all ^[1]. A second fact-checking source confirms this finding, stating that the videos circulating online appeared scripted and used artificial intelligence tools, with no credible evidence that Leavitt ever spoke to Traoré or even met him ^[2].

Importantly, one of the sources analyzed is from a YouTube channel that explicitly states their content is entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment ^[3], indicating that any related videos on such platforms should not be treated as factual news.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question appears to conflate or confuse different incidents involving Karoline Leavitt. The analyses reveal several actual events that may have contributed to this confusion:

• There are references to heated exchanges during White House briefings involving Leavitt ^{[4] [5]}
• Leavitt has been involved in contentious press interactions, including ducking questions about President Trump's policies ^[6]
• There are documented instances of "huge fights" during White House briefings with Leavitt ^[4]

The confusion may stem from the fact that while Leavitt has been involved in legitimate confrontational moments during her role as Press Secretary, the specific "sit down, boy" incident with a trader (or President Traoré) is entirely fabricated.

Content creators and social media platforms benefit from generating viral, controversial content through AI-generated videos, as these drive engagement and views regardless of their truthfulness.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains significant misinformation by treating a completely fabricated AI-generated scenario as if it were a legitimate news event. The question demonstrates how deepfake technology and AI-generated content can create false narratives that spread rapidly through social media.

The misinformation is particularly concerning because:

• It presents fictional AI-generated content as potentially factual
• It conflates real political figures (Karoline Leavitt) with fabricated scenarios
• It may be designed to damage reputations through false associations with inappropriate behavior

The sources clearly establish that this is an example of manufactured controversy using artificial intelligence tools to create convincing but entirely false video content ^{[1] [2]}. This represents a growing threat where AI-generated misinformation can be weaponized to spread false narratives about public figures.