White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fired back at HuffPost’s S.V. Dáte on Monday, calling him a 'left-wing hack' who 'constantly bombards' her phone — after he texted her yet another loaded question.
Last week, Dáte texted Leavitt asking whether President Trump “aware of the significance of Budapest” before agreeing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin there in the coming weeks for peace talks.
Leavitt’s fiery comeback came after the HuffPost reporter texted her about President Trump’s plan to meet with Vladimir Putin in Budapest. AP
Leavitt says Dáte “constantly bombards” her phone with what she calls “bulls–t" questions.
"Does he not see why Ukraine might object to that site? Who suggested Budapest?" Dáte pressed, pointing out that the city hosted the 1994 agreement in which Ukraine gave up its inherited nuclear weapons in exchange for Russia’s pledge not to use military force or economic pressure against it.
“Your mom did,” Leavitt shot back.
S.V. Dáte, the HuffPost’s White House correspondent. C-Span
“Is this funny to you?” Dáte texted back.
“It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic],” the White House press secretary shot back. “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.”
Karoline Leavitt addresses reporters outside the White House on October 16, 2025. AP
“Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls–t questions.”
Leavitt posted the October 17 exchange on X after HuffPost published a story about the White House’s “Wild Response to Dáte’s questions."
“For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts,” Leavitt wrote in her X post, including screenshots of her texts with Dáte. “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 clashed with a HuffPost reporter. REUTERS
“Just take a look at [Date’s] feed, it reads like an anti-Trump personal diary,” she continued, arguing that “Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession.”
Dáte continued pressing Leavitt for an answer about the Budapest summit in the same X thread where she was mocking him.
“Feel better now? Now can you answer the question? Please and thank you,” Dáte tweeted.
Pete Hegseth sported a bold red, white, and blue tie while welcoming Zelensky. AFP via Getty Images
It looks like other Trump administration officials are following Leavitt’s lead in handling Dáte’s inquiries.
In a HuffPost story published Monday evening, Dáte highlighted the red, white, and blue tie worn by War Secretary Pete Hegseth during Zelensky’s White House visit last week. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell fired back in the piece: “Your mom bought it for him — and it’s a patriotic American tie, moron.”
