White House responds with “Your mom did” when asked who picked Budapest for Trump-Putin summit

After President Donald Trump announced a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest on Thursday, HuffPost reporters asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt a simple question: Who suggested Budapest as the location for the summit?

Leavitt and Communications Director Steven Cheung responded: “Your mom did," according to HuffPost.

When HuffPost followed up for comment on the earlier response, Leavitt replied sharply:

“It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journalist. 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. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bullshit questions.”

Later on, when The Independent asked the White House whether the comment was appropriate, spokesperson Taylor Rogers said it was “more than appropriate.”

Budapest is historically significant as the site of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine gave up thousands of nuclear weapons inherited after the breakup of the Soviet Union in exchange for assurances that Russia would respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Russia first violated this agreement in 2014 by annexing Crimea and again in 2022 with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It remains unclear whether President Trump is aware of the historical significance of the Budapest Memorandum.

President Trump promoted the upcoming meeting as a continuation of his talks with Putin, aimed at addressing Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.