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Tag: Leavitt

Putin viewed as ‘great competitor’ but still a US ‘adversary’ as Ukraine negotiations loom, Leavitt says

The Trump administration simultaneously views Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “great competitor” and “adversary” as it hashes out negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Wednesday press conference.

“I believe this nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region, at times an adversary,” Leavitt said when asked how President Donald Trump views Russia and Putin. “But as the president has said, as well, he enjoys having good diplomatic relations with leaders around the world. Finding that common ground, also calling them out when they are wrong. Leading from a position of peace through strength. That’s the president’s greatest strength.”

Just ahead of the Wednesday afternoon press conference, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had spoken to Putin on the phone and the two had agreed to begin negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine.

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.”

TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA AGREES TO ‘IMMEDIATELY’ BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS TO END WAR IN UKRAINE

The U.S. views Putin as a “great competitor” and “adversary” as the country works to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. (Getty Images)

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighboring nation. Trump has said while on the 2024 campaign trail that he would end the war if re-elected, while claiming it would never have begun if he had been in the Oval Office at the time.

President Donald Trump posted a follow-up Truth Social post on Feb. 12, 2025, that he also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, remarking the conversation “went very well.” (Getty Images)

Leavitt was peppered with a handful of questions surrounding the negotiations, including why the Trump administration’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was not included on Trump’s list of U.S. officials leading the negotiations.

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Feb. 12, 2025, that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two had agreed to begin negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine. (Reuters)

Kellogg “remains a critical part of this team in this effort,” Leavitt said. “He’s played a tremendous role in getting the negotiations to this point, and he’s very much still part of the Trump administration.”

“The president, in his Truth following the phone call with Vladimir Putin, said that he has asked Secretary of State Rubio, the Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, our national security advisor here at the White House, Michael Waltz and Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations,” she said.

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY

The Kremlin posted a Russian language readout of the phone call with Trump on Wednesday, which was translated into English, and it reported Putin invited Trump to Moscow. Leavitt said she did not have any details to share on a potential visit to the country.

Trump posted a follow-up Truth Social post on Wednesday that he also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, remarking the conversation “went very well.”

AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY

“He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE,” Trump wrote. “We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the War, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the Delegation. I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!”

President Donald Trump welcomes Marc Fogel back to the United States on Feb. 11, 2025, after he was released from Russian custody. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The announcement of the initiation of peace negotiations follows the return of Marc Fogel to the U.S. on Tuesday. Fogel is a grade school teacher from Pennsylvania who was arrested in Russia in 2021 for possession of marijuana in an airport. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison before the U.S. secured his release.

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“I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House,” Trump added of the release in his Truth Social post earlier Wednesday. “I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!”

February 13, 2025
Leavitt says egg shortage, grocery prices why Senate must ‘move swiftly’ to confirm Trump nominees

President Donald Trump’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt urged members of Congress to confirm Trump’s nominees to address problems like the U.S. egg shortage and the cost of living crisis.

“This is an example of why it’s so incredibly important that the Senate moves swiftly to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees, including his nominee for the United States Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, who is already speaking with Kevin Hassett, who’s leading the economic team here at the White House, on how we can address the egg shortage in this country,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday at her first White House press briefing.

“We also have seen the cost of everything, not just eggs, bacon, groceries, gasoline, have increased because of the inflationary policies of the last administration,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt’s comments came directly after Democrats took several jabs at Trump’s handling of the cost of living crisis just days after his inauguration, citing rising prices for eggs amid larger conversations about the price of groceries and cost of living as a whole.

While the consumer price index shows consumer prices increased roughly 20% under former President Joe Biden’s administration, Democrats remain skeptical that Trump’s economic proposals will prove effective.

“The price of eggs and the cost of living was supposed to go down. Not up,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a post on X on Friday.

SHELLING OUT: EGG PRICES RISE NEARLY 37 PERCENT

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized President Donald Trump’s economic plans, saying, “The price of eggs and the cost of living was supposed to go down. Not up.” (Getty Images)

“Trump’s ‘concepts of a plan’ at work,” Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said in a post on X on Friday, pointing to a photo claiming a dozen eggs cost nearly $9. It’s unclear where the photo originated or its authenticity.

Subramanyam’s post referenced Trump’s comments that he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act, during a September 2024 presidential debate with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Meanwhile, the consumer price index shows egg prices have soared nearly 37% in the past year. For example, a dozen Grade A large eggs cost an average of $4.15 in December — up from $2.51 in December 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In some states like California, those numbers have gone up to nearly $9 per dozen in certain areas. California, like other states including Arizona, Massachusetts and Michigan, requires all eggs sold in the state to come from cage-free hens, which typically are more expensive.

The rise in egg prices comes amid high demand and a massive outbreak of avian flu, known as the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture attributes to killing more than 20 million egg-laying hens in the last quarter of 2024. All birds from an infected flock are culled, exacerbating the impact of the flu.

Leavitt on Tuesday blamed this killing policy for contributing to the egg shortage.

“The Biden Administration’s slow and ineffective response to the avian influenza outbreak, which began in 2022, has negatively impacted U.S. poultry producers, and his USDA forced farmers to massively cut their livestock populations,” Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, said in a Monday statement to Fox News Digital.

As a result, Kelly said Trump and Rollins would take “bold, decisive action” to address problems related to the avian flu, and direct the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to refocus on the health of animals and plants.

Democrats previously have questioned Trump’s ability to reduce grocery prices, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said in early January that “Trump has no idea” how to cut down such prices.

SWALWELL SLAMMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR QUESTIONING HOW TRUMP WILL LOWER GROCERY PRICES

Rep. Eric Swalwell has cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s ability to reduce the prices of groceries. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I don’t care if Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland. I just want to know what he’s going to do to lower the cost of groceries,” Rep. Swalwell wrote on X on Jan. 7.

Vice President JD Vance addressed the cost of groceries in an interview Sunday with CBS’ Margaret Brennan, citing several executive orders that Trump signed his first week in office focused on the economy and reducing energy prices. Among those orders was a directive instructing every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis.

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE PRESSED ON WHEN GROCERY PRICES WILL COME DOWN: ‘WHICH ONE LOWERS PRICES?’

Vice President JD Vance clashed with CBS’ Margaret Brennan on several topics, including the prices of groceries in an interview on Jan. 26, 2025. (CBS screenshot)

“Prices are going to come down, but it’s going to take a little bit of time, right?” Vance said. “The president has been president for all of five days. I think that, in those five days, he’s accomplished more than Joe Biden did in four years.”

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The state of the economy ranked as the top issue in the 2024 election, according to a Gallup poll conducted in September 2024.

Voters also believed Trump better equipped to address the economy than his opponent, Harris. While 54% of American voters claimed Trump could better handle the economy, only 45% backed Kamala, the poll found.

Fox Business’ Alexandra Koch and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

January 28, 2025
Conservatives rally around ‘rock star’ Leavitt after first White House briefing: ‘Competence is back’

Conservatives on social media praised newly minted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s performance in her first press conference on Tuesday and made the case that her tenure would be a welcome change from the previous administration’s.

Leavitt stepped to the White House pressroom podium on Tuesday and answered questions from more than a dozen reporters with various political affiliations and spoke for almost an hour on Tuesday.

As Leavitt addressed the media, conservatives on social media reacted with positive reviews of her handling of the questions and the variety of reporters she called on.

“Karoline Leavitt is a rock star,” actor James Woods posted on X. “These next four years are going to be sublime.”

INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING DIRECT ASSISTANCE WON’T BE IMPACTED BY FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE, PRESS SECRETARY SAYS

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, left, and her predecessor, Karine Jean-Pierre (Getty)

“Well @karolineleavitt is certainly up for the job,” Fox News contributor Joey Jones posted on X. “Impressive, but not surprising.”

“Both KJP and Jen Psaki were extremely dependent on their oversized binders jam-packed with scripted talking points,” talk show host Addison Smith posted on X. “Today, @karolineleavitt took to the podium for the first time with a couple sheets of paper that she barely even glanced at. Competence is back.”

TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ROLLS OUT SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT TO HOLD ‘FAKE NEWS ACCOUNTABLE’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds her first news conference on Jan. 28, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Damn White House press secretary @karolineleavitt absolutely smoking left wing reporters,” Outkick founder and radio host Clay Travis posted on X.

“This Press Secretary – Karoline Leavitt – is so refreshingly clear in the positions she articulates,” Rush Limbaugh’s longtime friend and producer, James Golden, posted on X. “No dancing around facts, no avoidance of questions, in contrast to the previous Press Secretary.”

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the daily briefing on Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)

“Karoline Leavitt is 30 minutes into a Press Briefing and she hasn’t looked up a single answer yet,” Fox News contributor and comedian Jimmy Faila posted on X. “KJP would have gone through three binders and a Magic 8 Ball by now. THIS is why people wanna ditch DEI for Meritocracy.”

“How refreshing to have a Press Sec at the podium who can answer questions directly and without reading word for word from a script,” Coign Vice President Cassie Smedile Docksey posted on X. “We are so back.”

Leavitt, 27, is the youngest press secretary in the nation’s history, surpassing President Richard Nixon’s press secretary, Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the same position in 1969. Leavitt was a fierce defender of Trump throughout his campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris and also made her own political mark with a congressional run in 2022.

Leavitt served in Trump’s first administration as assistant press secretary before working as New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s communications director after the 2020 election. She launched a congressional campaign in her home state of New Hampshire during the 2022 cycle, winning her primary but losing the election to a Democrat.

Leavitt picked up the torch of press secretary from the Biden administration’s chief spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 28, 2025
Leavitt on offense at first briefing, stressing Trump will deport ‘heinous’ illegal immigrant criminals

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that foreign nationals attempting to enter the U.S. illegally are not welcome under President Donald Trump’s administration.

“So to foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States, think again,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday at the White House press briefing. “Under this president, you will be detained and you will be deported. Every day, Americans are safer because of the violent criminals that President Trump’s administration is removing from our communities.”

Specifically, Leavitt pointed to recent arrests that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted in January, including arresting a Honduras citizen convicted of rape and a Dominican Republic citizen with a criminal conviction for second degree murder.

TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. (The Associated Press)

“These are the heinous individuals that this administration is removing from American communities every single day, and to the brave state and local law enforcement officers, [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] and ICE agents who are helping in the facilitation of this deportation operation, President Trump has your back, and he is grateful for your hard work,” Leavitt said.

Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration during his campaign and declared a national emergency at the southern border following his inauguration. He also immediately ordered the expulsion of migrants without the possibility of asylum.

TRUMP ADMIN TOUTS PURGING ‘WORST’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINALS FROM US STREETS: ‘WORKING TIRELESSLY’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to member of the press in the grounds of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images))

Leavitt also defended the Trump administration’s decision to issue a freeze on federal grants and loans on Monday — a move that prompted backlash from Democrats. Leavitt issued reassurance that those who receive individual federal assistance will not be impacted by the pause.

“I have now been asked and answered this question four times,” Leavitt said. “To individuals at home who receive direct assistance from the federal government: You will not be impacted by this federal freeze.”

Programs including Social Security benefits, Medicare, food stamps, welfare benefits and other assistance going directly to individuals will still continue under the pause, according to Leavitt. However, she said she would “check back” regarding the status of Medicaid.

INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING DIRECT ASSISTANCE WON’T BE IMPACTED BY FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE, PRESS SECRETARY SAYS

US President Donald Trump, watched by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to reporters while in flight on Air Force One en route Joint Base Andrews, on January 27, 2025. (Getty)

Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., claim the decision is an overreach of power and said it is an attempt to circumvent Congress and withhold congressionally approved funds.

“More lawlessness and chaos in America as Donald Trump’s Administration blatantly disobeys the law by holding up virtually all vital funds that support programs in every community across the country,” Schumer said in a statement. “If this continues, the American people will pay an awful price.”

“They say this is only temporary, but no one should believe that,” Schumer said. “Donald Trump must direct his Administration to reverse course immediately and the taxpayers’ money should be distributed to the people.”

Leavitt also unveiled major changes to White House press access, and announced that the Trump administration would restore the press passes for 440 journalists whose passes she said “were wrongly revoked” by the Biden administration.

“In keeping with this revolutionary media approach that President Trump deployed during the campaign, the Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room,” Leavitt said.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

January 28, 2025
Trump administration holds first White House press conference with Karoline Leavitt

The Trump administration will hold its first White House press conference with newly minted press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday afternoon, according to the White House schedule.

President Donald Trump has been on a media blitz since his inauguration on Jan. 20, including sitting down for his first White House interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity and speaking with the media as he traveled to states rocked by natural disasters, including North Carolina and California. Trump’s press secretary also has frequently joined media outlets for interviews since Trump was sworn in, but has not yet held a White House press briefing.

Leavitt, 27, is the youngest press secretary in the nation’s history – unseating President Richard Nixon’s press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the same position in 1969. Leavitt was a fierce defender of Trump throughout his hard-fought campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris, and also made her own political mark with a congressional run in 2022.

Leavitt served in Trump’s first administration as assistant press secretary before working as New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s communications director following the 2020 election. She launched a congressional campaign in her home state of New Hampshire during the 2022 cycle, winning her primary but losing the election to a Democrat.

WHO IS KAROLINE LEAVITT?: A LOOK AT THE YOUNGEST WOMAN EVER NAMED TO SERVE AS WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY

Karoline Leavitt, with President Donald Trump, is the youngest press secretary in the nation’s history.

Leavitt picked up the torch of press secretary from the Biden administration’s chief spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre.

TRUMP’S ‘SHOCK AND AWE’: FORGET FIRST 100 DAYS, NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS OFF FRENETIC PACE IN FIRST 100 HOURS

Trump’s first week in office was a whirlwind of executive orders and actions as part of his mission to follow through on campaign promises, such as securing the border and removing diversity, equity and inclusion practices from federal offices.

President Donald Trump’s first few days in office were a whirlwind of executive orders and actions as part of his mission to follow through on campaign promises. (Melina Mara, Pool/Getty Images)

“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” Trump said during his inaugural speech on Jan. 20. “A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.”

‘TIP OF THE SPEAR’: TRUMP RAMPS UP UNSCRIPTED MEDIA BLITZ AFTER YEARS OF RECLUSIVE BIDEN DUCKING QUESTIONS

“I think we got there just in the nick of time,” President Donald Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in the Oval Office. (Fox News/Hannity)

Trump repeatedly has made himself available to the media since his inauguration – a departure from former President Joe Biden’s infrequent availability to the media – speaking to reporters for about 45 minutes on the evening of his inauguration and again speaking with reporters on Tuesday for another 30 minutes.

Trump also sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday, where the pair discussed issues ranging from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to hurricanes and wildfires under the Biden administration and declaring that his return to the White House serves as evidence that policies from the “radical left” do not work and were rejected by voters.

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“I think it’s bigger. It’s bigger than if it were more traditional,” he said on “Hannity,” referring to serving two nonconsecutive terms. “I think we got there just in the nick of time.”

January 28, 2025