Karoline Leavitt hit back on X, saying SV Date of the Huffington Post was a ‘left-wing hack’ who has long attacked President Donald Trump
WASHINGTON, D.C. — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted HuffPost reporter S.V. Dáte on Monday, October 20, calling him a “left-wing hack” after he published an article criticizing her response to a question about President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
Leavitt took to X (formerly Twitter) to post screenshots of her text exchange with the journalist, accusing him of partisan bias.
“Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession,” she wrote, sharing the messages publicly.
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.
“Your Mom Did”: The Exchange That Sparked the Clash
In the screenshots Leavitt posted, Dáte had asked about the significance of Budapest as the location for the Trump–Putin meeting. He texted,
“Is the president aware of the significance of 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. Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site? Who suggested Budapest?”
Leavitt’s blunt reply quickly went viral:
“Your mom did.”
When Dáte followed up asking whether she found his question “funny,” Leavitt responded,
“Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls**t questions.”
Leavitt: Reporter Has “Consistently Attacked” Trump
In her X post, Leavitt accused the veteran journalist of using his platform to undermine the Trump administration:
“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 also pointed to Dáte’s X profile and his author bio on HuffPost, which promotes his recent book describing Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Republican Party as “failed and corrupt.”
Reporter Responds with Sarcasm
Dáte’s HuffPost article responded to the controversy with sarcasm, suggesting the newsroom was now “devastated” and “fearful of asking any more questions” after Leavitt’s replies.
Mocking the exchange, he wrote that Leavitt’s “your mom” response represented “your tax dollars at work.”
One social media user resurfaced an old 2023 post by Dáte that read:
“As a journalist, it’s not my job to tell you who to vote for. As a journalist, it is my job to warn you that if we vote Donald Trump back into office, it may be the last vote we ever cast.”
HuffPost Defends Reporter
In a statement to Fox News, a HuffPost spokesperson said,
“HuffPost stands by our reporters and our award-winning, fact-based journalism. We look forward to receiving a professional answer to our reporter’s detailed question.”
Trump–Putin Meeting to Be Hosted in Budapest
The upcoming Trump–Putin summit will be hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, according to reports. The choice of location has already stirred debate due to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, an agreement under which Russia pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty — a promise later shattered by its invasion in 2014 and again in 2022.
Leavitt’s fiery exchange with Dáte adds to the long-running tension between the Trump administration and several media outlets, with both sides accusing the other of partisanship and unprofessional conduct.
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