‘Your Mom Picked It’: White House Press Secy Karoline Leavitt Snaps At Reporter Over Question On Trump-Putin Meet

Washington: A tense exchange between White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Huffington Post reporter SV Dáte has drawn sharp attention online, days before US President Donald Trump’s expected meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During a press briefing, when Dáte asked who had chosen the location for the upcoming Trump-Putin summit, Leavitt shot back with a sarcastic response, “Your mom did.” The remark, captured on video, quickly went viral, sparking debate over professionalism in White House communications.

Leavitt later doubled down on social media, posting a screenshot of her exchange with Dáte on X. She labelled the reporter “a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years”, adding that some journalists “masquerade as activists”, eroding public trust in the press.

The White House has not officially announced the summit date, but officials said the meeting — expected to take place in Budapest — could happen within the next two weeks.

The leaders last met on August 15 in Alaska, a session that reportedly ended without agreement after Putin rejected Trump’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met Trump in Washington last week, struck a cautiously optimistic tone about future talks. He said Ukraine is preparing a contract for 25 Patriot air defence systems and described Trump’s stance as “positive”.

“After many rounds of discussion with President Trump and his team, his message, in my view, is positive — that we stand where we stand on the front line,” Zelenskyy had said.

The Budapest summit is expected to focus on renewed ceasefire proposals and potential US-Russia cooperation on European security issues, though officials have cautioned that expectations remain “measured”.

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