Overview

• Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that much of the media has been "actively rooting against" President Trump's efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.
• Leavitt defended Trump's recent meeting with Vladimir Putin as "highly productive" and claimed the president "broke the deadlock" to create an opening for progress.
• She rebuked New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh after he questioned why Trump took a private call from Putin rather than in front of European leaders.
• Leavitt said the presence of Ukraine's president and European leaders in Washington was driven by progress she attributed to the Trump–Putin discussions.
• Vice President J.D. Vance publicly praised Leavitt’s remarks in real time on X, endorsing her critique of media coverage of the negotiations.