Fact check: What was Karoline Leavitt's response to criticism of her sit down boy comment?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there are conflicting accounts regarding Karoline Leavitt's alleged "sit down boy" comment and her response to criticism. The sources reveal a complex picture with potential misinformation circulating about multiple incidents.

Snopes debunked one specific claim, stating that Leavitt did not make the "sit down boy" comment to Burkina Faso President Capt. Ibrahim Traoré ^[1]. However, a separate incident allegedly occurred where Leavitt told Denzel Washington to "sit down, boy," though this source does not provide her response to criticism ^[2].

One source indicates that Leavitt did respond to criticism of a "sit down boy" comment, stating that "the president supports peaceful protests and the First Amendment," but her response was characterized as "aggressive and unprofessional" ^[3]. This suggests she attempted to deflect criticism by invoking constitutional rights rather than directly addressing the controversial nature of her alleged comment.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal significant gaps in the available information:

• Multiple incidents are being conflated - there appear to be at least two separate alleged incidents involving different individuals (Ibrahim Traoré and Denzel Washington) ^{[1] [2]}
• Pattern of aggressive responses - While not directly related to the "sit down boy" comment, sources show Leavitt has a history of responding aggressively to criticism, including clashes with NBC News correspondents and the BBC ^{[4] [5]}
• Timing discrepancies - The sources span from May to June 2025, suggesting this has been an ongoing controversy with evolving narratives
• Lack of direct quotes - Most sources do not provide Leavitt's exact words in response to criticism, making it difficult to assess the full context of her defense

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question assumes that Karoline Leavitt made a "sit down boy" comment and faced criticism for it, but this assumption may be problematic:

• Debunked claims are circulating - Snopes specifically debunked one version of this story involving the Burkina Faso President ^[1], indicating that false information is being spread
• Conflation of separate incidents - The question may be combining multiple alleged incidents into one, creating confusion about what actually occurred
• Lack of verification - While one source suggests the Denzel Washington incident occurred ^[2], and another reports on her response to criticism ^[3], there's insufficient verification of the actual comment or its context

The question itself may be perpetuating misinformation by treating unverified claims as established facts, particularly given that fact-checkers have already debunked at least one version of this story.