At a White House meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a short exchange stole the spotlight: President Trump called in press secretary Karoline Leavitt, she unloaded on the press over coverage of affordability, and Orban jokingly offered to hire her — all while negotiations over Hungary and U.S. sanctions with Russia lingered in the background. The scene showcased a blunt defense of economic gains, a media takedown that energized allies, and a diplomatic ask that underlines how foreign policy and politics collide. This piece lays out the moment, the remarks, and the political tone that followed.
The meeting took place in the Cabinet room as talks touched on Hungarian energy and trade, then shifted when reporters began asking about a shutdown and affordability. A reporter pressed, “You said last night you didn’t want to talk about affordability.” That question set the stage for a rapid back-and-forth that made clear whose framing would dominate the room.
Amid the exchange, President Trump called for Karoline Leavitt to come into the room and Prime Minister Orban leaned across the table and quipped, “Can I get her for us?” The president piped in with the line, “Karoline, the prime minister would like you to work for him in Hungary,” and the moment went from routine to memorable. It was a lighthearted beat in a meeting otherwise centered on policy, and it underscored how loyal staff can shift a press narrative on the spot.
Trump shot back: “I talked about it. When did I not want to talk about it? I talk about it all the time. We are much better than Biden and all of them now.” He pushed back hard against the notion that affordability was being ignored, pointing to what his team sees as faster, cleaner economic relief. Reporters pressed, but the administration wanted the record clear: their actions, they argued, speak louder than the headlines.
When Leavitt entered, she went straight at the media’s framing with a pointed rebuke. “It’s very unfortunate that the reporters in this room refused to address, sir, what you just said, which is that you inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history, and you are fixing it in 10 short months,” Leavitt said. “And your entire administration has been tasked with this effort, from Treasury Department to Agriculture Department to the National Economic Council right here at the White House, they are slashing regulation. He signed the largest middle class tax cut in six months. In six months, in record time. Putting more money back into the American people’s pockets.”
She continued with the exact charge that the coverage was selective and unfair. “Affordability is what the American people elected this president to do,” she added. “And he is doing it. And you guys refuse to cover it. And you refused to cover that the previous administration created the worst unaffordability crisis in American history. And I’ve been watching the TV all day saying that he doesn’t want to talk about affordability. That’s what he’s working on every day. And that’s what this administration is doing now.”
The president accused the press of having “refused” to spotlight economic wins and labelled much of their coverage as “fake news,” a blunt Republican-style rebuke aimed at shifting voters’ attention back to numbers and policy. Orban, amused and approving, twice raised the idea of bringing Leavitt aboard in Hungary, and Trump laughed it off before warning, “Please don’t leave us, Karoline.” The interaction reinforced a political narrative: the administration sees itself as fixing economic pain while critics race to deny those gains.
Behind the quips and the press sparring was a substantive diplomatic ask from Orban: a request that the U.S. consider an exemption for Hungary from sanctions imposed on Russia, as negotiations to end the war in Ukraine had slowed. That element kept the meeting rooted in realpolitik, reminding everyone that friendly banter and press rounds happen in the shadow of major geopolitical choices. The episode made one thing clear to supporters: confident messaging, a tough line on coverage, and direct diplomacy can all happen at once in Washington.
