Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary for the White House, launched a scathing attack on Thursday, calling those who oppose President Trump’s planned summit with Vladimir Putin pitiful and little more than resentful losers with no qualifications.
Leavitt specifically took out former national security advisor John Bolton during an appearance on Fox & Friends, claiming that these so-called experts have no accomplishments to list on their own résumé and mockingly claiming that President Trump is an accomplished leader.
The conference could be a turning point in the history of the world chessboard. It is scheduled for Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, an unusual gathering place that was once part of the Russian Empire. After issuing an ultimatum in July that alarmed Western capitals, Trump has hinted that a truce in Ukraine may be possible if Putin accepts a peace agreement.
Ahead of the summit, Bolton, who was under Trump during his first term and left with a sour tone, cautioned that Putin has already won, claiming that the Russian leader has already won only by getting a photo op on American territory.
Trump was infuriated by the remark and, on his Truth Social platform, attacked Bolton as a dismissed loser and a very stupid person. He also accused the very unfair media of constantly repeating professional detractors like him. In response to Bolton’s assertion that the Alaska summit was a compromise, Trump said, “We are winning on EVERYTHING.”
Leavitt was asked by presenter Lawrence Jones during her Fox interview how she would react to media voices and dismissed Trump aides who implied he could be ashamed in Alaska. Leavitt said that she wouldn’t be that nice and began her scathing verbal attack, citing people like John Bolton, who I believe has embarrassed himself on TV and in the media by asserting that he is more knowledgeable than President Trump. He and all of these so-called foreign policy experts who have never resolved a foreign policy dispute in their life don’t, in fact.
She went on to say that complaints made by commentators who haven’t accomplished anything significant are just noise that undermines the legitimacy of the administration.
Consider what Biden might have said:
Trump: I will visit Putin. On Friday, I’m traveling to Russia.
On Friday, Trump will travel to Alaska, which has not been a part of Russia since 1867.
@jaketapper, where the devil are you? Enough is enough.lSdJyO6mzf pic.twitter.com/
August 11, 2025 Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson)
The tone used by the White House demonstrates a larger approach, boosting Trump’s own diplomatic instincts while challenging opponents and experienced diplomats. The meeting is presented as a daring, high-wire act, where failure or disgrace is not an option, and it is bolstered by rising domestic tensions and rising tensions in Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities and European leaders are still concerned about the meeting’s content and appearance in Alaska. Trump has indicated that he is amenable to Ukraine’s territorial exchanges, but Kyiv quickly rejected this rhetoric. While Putin has praised Trump’s serious efforts and alluded to talks on nuclear arms reduction, the Kremlin’s measured acclaim of the summit has provoked cautious reaction. Opponents caution that the summit may serve to further Putin’s belligerent narratives while excluding Ukraine and its friends in the West.
As the two leaders prepare to square off on Friday, Trump maintains that he is in control and winning at everything, while Leavitt remains steadfast in his promise that no critic, no matter how loud, will stop Trump’s American agenda. Leavitt’s scorched-earth rhetoric makes it obvious what this administration is waging in multiple ways as the diplomatic chess match gets underway.
