White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went on offense Tuesday, ripping into the Washington press corps for what she called “negative and downright false coverage” of President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure peace between Russia and Ukraine.
From the James S. Brady Briefing Room podium, Leavitt accused many in the media of openly rooting against the president’s push for peace. “Initially, the media ridiculously claimed that President Trump was somehow beholden to Russia for even agreeing to meet with President Putin inside of the United States,” she said. “They said he was making a grave mistake by ‘legitimizing’ Putin — aghast that President Trump would treat another world leader like a world leader.”
Leavitt argued that the same press later smeared Trump for not walking away from that first meeting with a signed peace deal, ignoring that the president was clear it was an opening round meant to “listen and understand how to move the ball forward.” She pointed to Trump’s record, noting he has already resolved seven global conflicts in seven months and brokered the Abraham Accords in his first term.
The press secretary reminded reporters that major European leaders and Ukraine’s president traveled to Washington precisely because of the progress made in Trump’s meeting with Putin. “It was highly productive,” she insisted. “And it was successful.”
Leavitt tied the hostile press coverage to collapsing public trust in the media. “This is why Americans’ trust in the mass media is at its lowest point in more than five decades,” she said. “Diplomacy is a delicate process, and instead of reporting the facts about what is happening here, many outlets in this room continue to try to actively undermine the president and sabotage the efforts toward peace.”
Her remarks earned immediate praise from inside the administration. Vice President JD Vance posted in real time on X: “Karoline Leavitt lighting the American media up for lying about our negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.” A senior White House official added that Trump himself had already set the tone on Truth Social, promising to cut through “lightweight and jealous critics” and “get it done.”
Karoline Leavitt lighting the American media up for lying about our negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 19, 2025
Leavitt closed by reiterating her promise to hold the media accountable. “From the beginning of this process, much of the left-wing media has been actively rooting against the President of the United States in his pursuit of peace,” she said. “President Trump finally broke the deadlock between Russia and Ukraine and created a real opportunity for a lasting peace for the first time in 3.5 years of brutal war. But instead of accurately reporting the facts, dishonest outlets are actively trying to sabotage these peace efforts.”
The post Karoline Leavitt Blasts White House Press For ‘Actively Rooting’ Against Trump’s Peace Efforts appeared first on Real News Now.
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