White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was criticized for sharing a theory on her Instagram story that an earthquake in Utah after the murder of far-right activist Charlie Kirk is proof that "God is angry."
A 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Uinta Basin, just west of Vernal, at about 5:57 p.m. Central Time on September 10—the day Kirk was assassinated—with a depth of 42 miles. In biblical numerology, 40 is associated with trials and 41 with change.
And Leavitt couldn't help but say "Wow" when sharing the following post from a religious conspiracy theorist:
“On the night Charlie was shot, a 4.1 earthquake struck Utah. In scripture, 40 represents trials; 41 signifies a shift. It hit at 5:57 local time, 7:57 Eastern. Acts 7:57 describes Stephen, the first martyr, stoned as the crowd silenced his truth."
"The Bible says the earth trembles when God is angry. That night, as a voice was silenced, the ground groaned.”
You can see what she shared below.
@karolineleavitt/Instagram
Leavitt's post was so ridiculous it was no surprise it invited mockery online.
Leavitt has devout religious beliefs and has said she begins every day with prayer. She has also said her education at a Catholic high school in Massachusetts "taught me discipline, it brought me closer in my own relationship with God, and it also taught me the importance of public service and giving back to your community.”
But her purported assurance of God's kindness and the value of public service was not on display last month when she shared a post attributing the shooting of children at a Minneapolis church to a "demonic force."
Similarly, she claimed that the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in July 2024 was an example of "spiritual warfare, telling the Christian Broadcasting Network "that there were certainly evil forces, and I think that the president was saved by the grace of God on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, and he’s in this moment for a reason."
