Political activist Lara Loomer made headlines on March 16, 2025, when she alleged on X that she has identified the reporter who accidentally struck President Trump in the face with a boom mic. The incident reportedly occurred two days earlier, on March 14, 2025, at a military airport as Trump was about to depart from Washington D.C. During a press event where journalists posed questions regarding Gaza, a boom mic inadvertently hit the president, leading to a notably disapproving glare from him.
“I have identified the reporter who hit President @realDonaldTrump in the face with a boom mic this week while he was speaking to the press on the tarmac. Her name is Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.”
Danielle Kurtzleben, a political correspondent for NPR’s Washington Desk, has made significant contributions to various NPR shows and often lends her expertise to The NPR Politics Podcast. Her portfolio includes detailed coverage of the 2024 presidential election, particularly focusing on issues surrounding gender and economic policy.
About Danielle Kurtzleben: Background and Career
Originating from Titonka, Iowa, Danielle Kurtzleben boasts an impressive academic background with a bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton College, followed by a master’s in global communication from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Before joining NPR in 2015, she spent roughly four years at U.S. News and World Report, where her reporting primarily centered on campaign finance, economic issues, and demographic studies.
During her tenure at U.S. News, she also initiated a data visualization blog called Data Mine, enhancing readers’ understanding of complex information. Prior to her role at NPR, Kurtzleben was a correspondent with Vox.com, focusing on business and economics, which laid the groundwork for her subsequent achievements in the industry.
President Trump’s Reaction: A Memorable Moment
Footage capturing the moment the boom mic made contact with Trump quickly gained traction online. The president appeared visibly displeased, and his immediate response reflected his surprise and disbelief regarding the incident. Reportedly, he remarked:
“She made television tonight, she just became a big story tonight.”
Turning towards the reporter involved, he added:
“Did you see that?”
For a closer look at the incident, you can view the video here.
In her tweet, Loomer further characterized Kurtzleben, asserting that she is the newly appointed White House reporter for NPR and hinting at her biases, describing her as a “massive Trump hater”and an LGBTQ advocate. Loomer added that Kurtzleben had previously suggested Trump’s choice of Howell, Michigan for a campaign stop was linked to KKK ties, raising questions about the nature of the mic incident:
“Did she hit President Trump in the face on purpose?”
Loomer also circulated screenshots of Kurtzleben’s previous work, labeling her as someone consistently critical of Trump and supportive of transgender issues. To date, there has been no public comment from Kurtzleben regarding the incident on the tarmac. Meanwhile, some Republican figures, including Lauren Boebert and Charlie Kirk, have expressed their dissatisfaction with her actions.