In a very funny moment that occurred in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, November 7, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefly became the central focus of a bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with Leavitt shutting down a reporter so well that Orbán tried hiring her away.
For reference, the bilateral meeting primarily stemmed from and revolved around the US sanctions placed on Russian energy exports, on which Orbán’s country relies for cheap energy. Being entirely cut off would be a major problem for Hungary and so likely doom Orbán’s political prospects, making the meeting important. The exemption Hungary sought was granted.
It was during the commentary part of the meeting, during which a reporter asked the president about affordability in America, that Karoline Leavitt came up. When the reporter asked about the matter, Trump said, “I’d like to ask Karoline. Where’s Karoline? I’d like to ask Karoline a question. Where is she? Did she – uh oh, she deserted us.”
President Trump continued to joke about her, saying, as laughter filled the room in response to his entertaining remarks, that his “great superstar Karoline deserted” him in his hour of need. He then revealed that she was “right outside”. She came in a moment later and went on the offensive against the reporter, whose question President Trump had skewered as “fake, disgusting”.
Leavitt, sounding off on the reporter for the stupid question about affordability, said that it was “unfortunate that the reporters in this room refuse to address” that President Trump and his administration “inherited one of the worst inflation prices in modern American history” when they took over from the disastrous Biden presidency.
Leavitt went on to note that affordability has been a major focus of the president’s. She supported that by giving an example, saying, “He signed the largest middle-class tax cut in six months. Affordability is what the American people have elected this president to do, and he is doing it.”
After she was done sounding off on the journalist for the ridiculous question, Prime Minister Orbán cut in and asked President Trump if Press Secretary Leavitt might be allowed to work for him, too. President Trump evidently found the question quite entertaining as he laughed and said, “Karoline, the prime minister would like for you to work with him in Hungary.”
"*" indicates required fields
Orbán, chiming in, urged the press secretary to “please consider it” so that she could sound off on his media attackers as well. President Trump, continuing to play along, begged her to stay and continue exclusively helping him, saying, “Please, don’t leave us, Karoline.” They then got back to the business at hand, settling the sanctions matter.
Leavitt, for her part, responded to the prime minister’s request in a post on X later in the day, thanking him but turning the opportunity down. She said, “Thank you Prime Minister Orban for being so kind, but I’m staying right here! 😊🇺🇸”
Watch the funny incident here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video