Karoline Leavitt, the 28-year-old White House press secretary, is at the center of a viral controversy after she publicly shared a private text exchange with a journalist — and punctuated it with a middle-school-style jab that’s now dominating social media.
This All Started Over A Question About Budapest
On Monday, Leavitt posted screenshots of messages between herself and HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte, who had reached out for comment about President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Dáte’s question — whether Trump “was aware of the significance of Budapest” — prompted Leavitt to respond with two words: “Your mom.” What followed was a tense and unusually personal exchange between a senior government official and a member of the White House press corps.
Leavitt Posted The Text Messages Online
When Dáte asked whether she found the subject “funny,” Leavitt doubled down, 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. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bull… questions.” Leavitt then posted the screenshots on X (formerly Twitter), defending her comments. “For context,” she wrote, “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 accused Dáte of “activism masquerading as journalism” and encouraged her followers to “take a look” at his posts.
The Posted Exploded Online
While Leavitt framed the move as a stand against media bias, most observers saw it as an unprofessional outburst. The flippant “your mom” reply, in particular, drew widespread criticism — and ridicule. On Reddit and X, users described the exchange as “embarrassing,” “juvenile,” and “everything we teach our kids not to be.” The responses continued. “They are immature and childish bullies in adult bodies who make fart jokes,” one commenter wrote. “Can you imagine talking like this with external business partners? It’s wild.” Others called the exchange symptomatic of a broader erosion of professionalism within Trump’s orbit. “They are everything we teach our kids not to be,” one user posted. “Unless MAGA is telling their kids this is all fine coming from our nation’s highest office? We are in hell.”
This Is Just How Things Go Now
Leavitt, a former Trump campaign spokesperson known for her combative press briefings, has leaned into an aggressive, culture-war style of communications. But even some conservative commentators privately questioned her decision to make a private exchange public — and to do so with a playground insult attached. As of Tuesday afternoon, her post had more than 20 million views, generating as much criticism as applause. Dáte, for his part, has not publicly responded beyond confirming the authenticity of the texts.
