Trump Press Sec Spin Implodes as Fresh Boat Bombing Horrors Rattle GOP | The New Republic
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Trump Press Sec Spin Implodes as Fresh Boat Bombing Horrors Rattle GOP

As Karoline Leavitt struggles to defend awful new revelations about the bombings, The Contrarian’s Jennifer Rubin explains why even Republicans are shaken—and why this will only get worse for Trump.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt glares
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in Washington, DC on Dec. 1, 2025.

President Trump’s illegal boat bombings just got even worse. We’ve now learned that after demolishing a boat allegedly carrying drug smugglers in September, two survivors were left behind, and they were both blown apart in a second strike. That’s probably a war crime. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt struggled mightily to spin this as perfectly lawful. But all she revealed is how hard it is to defend all this when actual facts are known. Meanwhile, the latest turn in this saga is clearly rattling some Republicans, who feel forced to appear as if they want to exercise more oversight and are suddenly talking about genuinely imposing it. We chatted with Jennifer Rubin, editor-in-chief of The Contrarian, about her good new piece on this latest fiasco. She explains why we should take GOP angst over the bombings seriously, why people inside the chain of command should fear they’re on the hook for illegal acts, and what it will really take to impose accountability. Listen to this episode here.