What did White House Press Secretary say about the Macron-Owens incident during the daily briefing?
Executive summary
The available reporting shows Candace Owens publicly claimed the White House and U.S. counterterrorism agencies “confirmed receipt” of her allegation that French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to organize her assassination; multiple outlets repeat her claim but do not cite an official White House quote confirming the allegation [1] [2] [3] [4]. Fact-checking outlets and mainstream outlets note Owens’ claims remain unverified and that no U.S. agency has corroborated the plot allegation as of their reporting [5] [6].
1. What Owens said and how the story reached the briefing room
Candace Owens posted on X that “both the White House and our counterterrorism agencies have confirmed receipt of what I reported publicly: Emmanuel Macron attempted to organize my assassination,” and she announced her show would be off air while the matter was handled; that post is the source repeated across news outlets [1] [2] [3] [4].
2. Did the White House officially repeat her allegation at the podium?
Available sources do not show a White House press secretary or an official at the daily briefing publicly repeating Owens’ substantive allegation that Macron attempted to organize an assassination. Reporting instead shows outlets relaying Owens’ claim that the White House “confirmed receipt” of her report — not that the White House confirmed the underlying accusation itself [1] [3] [4].
3. How outlets frame “receipt” versus “confirmation of the plot”
Multiple outlets quote Owens saying U.S. officials “confirmed receipt” of the information she provided. News reports draw a clear distinction: receiving a report is not the same as validating or corroborating the claim that Macron plotted an assassination. Fact-check reporting explicitly states Owens’ assertions remain unverified and that no U.S. agency has corroborated her story to date [5] [6].
4. Fact-checkers and mainstream press caution on evidence
Fact-check coverage and outlets such as Euronews note Owens has provided no verified evidence tying Macron or French forces to the alleged plot and that parts of her broader narrative have been tied to previously debunked or fringe conspiracy theories [5] [6]. Euronews also cites a French ministry spokesperson disputing a related training claim — an example of reporting that challenges specific factual elements Owens raised [6].
5. How the claim spread and which outlets repeated it
A range of outlets — from Barrett Media and WION to Hindustan Times and The Times of India — reproduced Owens’ post and framed it as her claim that the White House and counterterrorism agencies had “confirmed receipt,” amplifying the statement without independent confirmation from U.S. officials [1] [3] [2] [7].
6. Alternative viewpoints and implicit agendas
Reporting includes two clear perspectives: Owens’ own, highly charged allegations and the cautionary stance from fact-checkers and mainstream media highlighting lack of verification [1] [5] [6]. Some of the outlets repeating Owens’ post sit on the political right or fringe media ecosystems that have previously amplified her claims; fact-checkers and European outlets emphasize the risk of repeating unverified conspiracy claims, suggesting differing editorial incentives across the reporting landscape [1] [8] [6].
7. What the press secretary could have said (and what is not found)
Available sources do not include a transcript or direct quote from the White House press secretary saying Owens’ allegation was true or that U.S. officials had corroborated the plot. Nor do the cited pieces show an on-the-record White House denial of Owens’ entire narrative — they instead report the lack of corroboration in independent reporting and fact checks [5] [6]. Therefore, any claim that the press secretary publicly affirmed Macron’s culpability is not supported by these sources.
8. Bottom line for readers
The record in these sources: Owens claims she notified the White House and that officials “confirmed receipt” of her report [1] [4]. Independent reporting and fact-checkers state her allegations are unverified and caution against treating “receipt” as corroboration of a plot [5] [6]. Readers should distinguish between an agency receiving a complaint and an agency validating criminal allegations; the cited material shows this distinction was central in contemporary coverage [5] [2].
Limitations: I relied solely on the provided documents; if the White House press secretary made an on-the-record statement after these pieces were published, that statement is not found in the current reporting (not found in current reporting).