White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at a reporter on Monday. She called him a “left-wing hack”. The outburst followed her reply to a journalist’s text about the Trump–Putin summit with “Your mom did.”
The exchange began when HuffPost journalist S.V. Dáte asked who had chosen the summit location. Then, Leavitt shared a screenshot of their chat on X, accusing him of bias against President Trump.
Accusations of Partisan Bias
Leavitt wrote, “For context, S.V. Date 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 added, “Just take a look at SV Date’s feed — it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary. Here is my full response to his ‘inquiry.’ 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.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 20, 2025
Just take a look at @svdate’s feed, it reads… https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa pic.twitter.com/v7owI5N4us
Summit Location and Date Remain Unclear
Officials have not finalised a date for the Trump–Putin summit. However, reports suggest the meeting will take place in Budapest in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will join the talks if invited. Meanwhile, he expressed concern about Hungary’s close ties with Moscow.
Zelenskyy told reporters, “If I am invited to Budapest… in a format where we meet as three, or as it’s called shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me — then, in one format or another, we will agree."
Media Tensions Continue
Overall, the exchange highlights the ongoing tension between the Trump administration and critical media outlets. In addition, it underscores the sensitivity surrounding the potential Trump–Putin summit.