
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a screenshot of a text message conversation between herself and HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte — and many people slammed her for her bizarre response.
Dáte sent Leavitt, 28, a text asking her if President Donald Trump was “aware of the significance” of scheduling an upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
“In 1994, Russia promised, in Budapest, not to invade Ukraine if it gave up the nuclear weapons it inherited when the Soviet Union dissolved,” Dáte continued. “Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site? Who suggested Budapest?”
Leavitt replied, “Your mom did.”
When Dáte asked if Leavitt thought the conversation was “funny,” she fired back at him, writing, “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. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls**t questions.”

Leavitt later shared the screenshot on her verified X account, claiming she wanted to “provide context” about the reporter behind the messages. In her caption, she accused Dáte of being “a left-wing hack” who “constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points,” adding that she was exposing bias in the press. The post quickly drew thousands of reactions, with critics calling it unprofessional for a White House press secretary to publish a private exchange, while her supporters applauded her for “calling out media activists.”
“You actually posted this thinking it made you look good? This is why record numbers of republicans are leaving the party,” one person wrote via X, while another person called Leavitt “a disgrace.”
A third X user chimed in and said, “Are you a press secretary or a 5-year-old? Seriously, you need to grow up.”
However, not everyone was upset by Leavitt’s word choice, and some even supported her response by saying this is “what they voted for.”