White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt engaged in a heated exchange with a journalist regarding the anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The exchange ignited when HuffPost reporter S.V. Dáte inquired about the selection process for the summit’s location. Leavitt’s initial response to the text message was a curt ‘Your mom did,’ a remark she later shared on X, labeling the reporter a ‘left-wing hack.’ Leavitt accused Dáte of exhibiting bias, stating his journalistic inquiries were not fact-driven but rather reflective of consistent attacks on President Trump. She further characterized his social media as an ‘anti-Trump personal diary’ and suggested that ‘activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession.’ The Trump-Putin summit is reportedly being planned for Budapest in the near future, though no definitive date has been set. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated his openness to participating in discussions if invited, provided the format allows for a trilateral meeting or separate bilateral engagements. Zelenskyy’s willingness comes amid his expressed concerns about Hungary’s connections with Moscow.
