White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wasn’t having it. She fired back at a snarky reporter who questioned whether President Trump “understood” the historical significance of his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Leavitt even posted a screenshot of the exchange — a move that perfectly captured the new Trump-era communications strategy: don’t let the media’s smugness go unanswered.
It was priceless. Her blunt, three-word reply — already quoted by the left-wing journalist she sparred with — said it all. Once Leavitt posted the full exchange and followed up with her own social-media commentary, she completely dismantled him.
Trump announced plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, in the coming weeks as part of his ongoing effort to negotiate peace in Ukraine.
S.V. Dáte, a senior White House correspondent for The Huffington Post, reportedly texted Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt questioning who had proposed the meeting location — while delivering what came across as a condescending “history lesson” about the city’s post-Cold War past.
He concluded with, “Who suggested Budapest?”
Leavitt’s response? Comedy gold.
“Your mom did,” she wrote back.
Congratulations to HuffPost for eliciting the most legendary response from the White House.
HuffPost asked who picked the location for Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin.@PressSec responded: "Your mom did."@StevenCheung47 responded: "Your mom."
Hilarious responses. pic.twitter.com/jiRII8jGUz
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 17, 2025
Dáte published Trump’s response — along with a slightly edited version relayed through White House Communications Director Steven Cheung — but conveniently omitted his own smug, condescending tone from the original message.
Fortunately for transparency’s sake, Leavitt had the receipts, including where Date asked her if she thought it was all just very funny. Her follow-up text didn’t just set the record straight — it absolutely eviscerated him.
“It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic]. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don’t tell you that to your face,” she replied. “Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls*** questions.”
Leavitt shared the exchange on X, alleging that the HuffPo hack constantly texts her with questions that reflect a biased perspective.
“For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points,” she fumed. “Just take a look at @svdate’s feed, it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary.”
“Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession.”
For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points.
Just take a look at @svdate’s feed, it reads… https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa pic.twitter.com/v7owI5N4us
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 20, 2025
To be fair, the entire Huffington Post lineup seems to specialize in pretending — pretending to be “real reporters,” competent journalists, or even remotely reasonable. It’s all an act.
Karoline Leavitt, on the other hand, has made a name for herself by effortlessly dismantling her opponents — whether they’re partisan operatives posing as journalists or Democratic officials trying to score cheap shots. And every time she does, it drives the left absolutely mad.
