The White House press briefing room has seen its share of heated exchanges, but few have gone viral quite like the spat between Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and HuffPost reporter S.V. Dáte. On October 20, 2025, Leavitt responded to a question about the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin with a retort that would feel more at home on a playground than Pennsylvania Avenue: "Your mom did."
The question that sparked the incident was straightforward, albeit loaded with historical significance. Dáte wanted to know who had chosen Budapest as the proposed site for the high-stakes meeting between Trump and Putin. The choice of Budapest wasn’t random—back in 1994, the city hosted the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, a landmark agreement in which Russia pledged not to invade Ukraine if the latter surrendered its inherited nuclear weapons. That promise, as many have pointed out, has been violated repeatedly since 2014, with Russia’s actions culminating in a full-scale invasion nearly four years ago and ongoing nightly drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, according to HuffPost.
Leavitt’s reply, which she later shared on X (formerly Twitter), was as dismissive as it was viral. Not only did she fire back with, "Your mom did," but she also doubled down, labeling Dáte a "left-wing hack" who, in her words, "has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points." She added, "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." (India Today, News18)
This was not the only instance of the administration’s communications team resorting to playground banter. White House communications director Steven Cheung reportedly echoed Leavitt’s response with his own "Your mom" quip, as reported by HuffPost and The Daily Beast. The exchange quickly became a lightning rod on social media, with critics and supporters alike weighing in on the professionalism—or lack thereof—displayed by the administration’s spokespeople.
Leavitt’s refusal to answer the original question did not go unnoticed. Dáte, undeterred by the schoolyard taunt, pressed on: "Feel better now? Now can you answer the question? Please and thank you." (The Daily Beast) But Leavitt remained silent on the substance, drawing further criticism from journalists and the public. Even White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson joined the fray, replying to Dáte with a meme rather than an answer.
The choice of Budapest as a meeting site carries more than symbolic weight. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is the only European Union and NATO leader openly sympathetic to Putin’s prolonged war in Ukraine. That connection has not escaped the notice of Ukrainian officials or Western observers. As HuffPost noted, the selection of Budapest is controversial not just for its history, but also for Orban’s current alignment with Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with Trump in Washington just days before the spat, expressed a willingness to join the talks if invited, though he voiced concerns about Hungary’s close relationship with Russia. "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," Zelenskyy told reporters, as cited by News18.
Despite the controversy swirling around the summit’s location, the Trump White House has not confirmed either the date or the final venue. Reports suggest the meeting will likely take place in Budapest within the next two weeks, but details remain murky. The last Trump-Putin meeting, held in Alaska on August 15, 2025, ended without tangible progress, with Putin reportedly rejecting Trump’s push for an immediate ceasefire (India Today).
Meanwhile, the fallout from Leavitt’s comments was swift and widespread. Social media commentators lambasted the press secretary’s response as immature and unprofessional. "What are you, 11?" quipped left-wing influencer Brian Krassenstein, while others wondered aloud if the country was "being run by 2nd graders." Even some Republicans joined the chorus, with the group Republicans Against Trump urging, "Answer the question." (The Daily Beast)
Not everyone was critical, however. Steve Guest, a former communications adviser to Senator Ted Cruz, found the exchange "hilarious," though even some supporters noted it was only so "if you’ve got the brain of a 6th grader." The incident also drew sarcastic commentary from broadcast journalists, with MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin remarking, "American taxpayer dollars [are] paying for class acts from the top down."
Leavitt, the youngest person to ever hold the position of White House press secretary, has developed a reputation for her combative style—a trait that some see as loyalty to her boss, while others see it as a sign of frustration or immaturity. As The List put it, her recent outburst "came off sounding like a catty middle schooler." Still, defenders argue that Leavitt is simply playing by Trump’s own rulebook, responding to perceived media bias with the same kind of snark that has become a hallmark of the Trump era.
In the midst of the uproar, the original question remains unanswered: Who, in fact, selected Budapest as the site of the Trump-Putin summit? The significance of the location, given the broken promises of the Budapest Memorandum and Hungary’s current political stance, is not lost on those watching the situation unfold. Yet, with the administration’s spokespeople opting for viral quips over substantive answers, the public—and the press—are left to speculate.
As the world awaits confirmation of the summit’s details, and as Ukraine continues to face nightly attacks from Russia, the stakes could hardly be higher. The question of who picked Budapest may seem trivial to some, but for those invested in the future of Ukraine and the credibility of international agreements, it’s anything but.
In an era when decorum in politics seems increasingly rare, the Leavitt-Dáte exchange stands as a symbol of the times—where viral moments often overshadow the hard questions that still demand answers.
