By John Q. Hosedrinker 
During a December 2025 press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced positive economic data, including a slowed inflation rate and rising real wages. However, the figures presented were misleading, with the actual inflation rate and wage growth differing significantly from Leavitt’s claims. This discrepancy, the article argues, reflects an Orwellian use of “doublespeak,” where language is manipulated to convey the opposite of truth, similar to the Ministry of Plenty’s fabricated statistics in “1984.” Leavitt’s statements are part of a broader pattern of distorting facts to bolster the administration’s image and deflect criticism, echoing Orwell’s observation that political language often serves to make lies sound truthful.
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Karoline Leavitt’s White House briefing doublethink is straight out of Orwell’s “1984.”
It’s hard to ignore the echo of Orwell’s dystopian vision when you witness the sort of rhetoric employed by Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. The ability to twist facts, to redefine reality, to make “lies sound truthful” – it’s a skill that seems to be honed to a razor’s edge in today’s political landscape.
When assessing statements made during press conferences, the underlying data, the verifiable facts, are vital. However, Leavitt’s statements, echoing the very essence of “doublethink,” seem deliberately constructed to create a reality divorced from those facts.
Leavitt, for instance, has proclaimed positive economic news. The claim that inflation is slowing and wages are increasing is an example of what Orwell describes. While inflation may have decreased, the overall picture of wage growth has been less rosy, at least when taking into consideration the totality of economic data. It’s a classic case of cherry-picking figures and presenting them in a way that obscures the full truth.
Orwell’s novel painted a picture of a society where the government controlled all information, and language was manipulated to control thought. The White House press secretary’s pronouncements often feel eerily similar. The constant insistence on “transparency” while simultaneously withholding information or twisting it to fit a predetermined narrative, exemplifies “doublespeak.” This is where a word comes to mean its opposite.
The claims surrounding the release of Epstein files perfectly demonstrates this concept. While any administration’s transparency, or lack thereof, regarding a sensitive and controversial matter warrants scrutiny, it is the manipulation of the very definition of “transparency” that should give us pause.
The manipulation extends beyond just economic data. Leavitt’s statements on various subjects, from the U.S. Agency for International Development to historical phrases, appear to be designed to misdirect and control the narrative. This goes back to Orwell’s warning that “political language is designed to make lies sound truthful.”
It is important to remember that all governments are prone to lying, but the systematic and deliberate manipulation of language to create an alternate reality, to control what people believe, is what truly evokes the spirit of “1984.”
The constant barrage of misinformation, the relentless spin, the willingness to make claims that are easily disproven – it all points to a deliberate effort to control the narrative and, by extension, control the minds of the audience. The comparison to “1984” is not an exaggeration, but a necessary warning.
The key to resisting this kind of manipulation is to remain vigilant, to question everything, and to seek out multiple sources of information. To truly understand the world, one must be willing to separate fact from fiction. And, to repeat, it’s essential to understand that propaganda will be ever present in the political landscape.
It’s tempting to think that this is a new phenomenon. However, as it’s been shown, “doublethink” and the manipulation of language have always been tools of control. What might be different is the speed and scale at which it’s occurring, amplified by modern technology, especially social media and AI.
The echo chamber of the media can amplify disinformation, distorting reality for those who rely on it. This is why it’s more crucial than ever to think critically, to be aware of biases, and to be skeptical of any narrative that seems too simple or too convenient. The stakes are as high as ever.