Washington, DC, August 20
US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday (local time) appreciated White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for cracking down on the media for 'lying' about their negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a post on X, Vance said, "Karoline Leavitt is lighting the American media up for lying about our negotiations with Russia and Ukraine."
https://x.com/JDVance/status/1957855752447496341
https://x.com/TaylorRogers47/status/1957913408579239996
https://x.com/PressSec/status/1957904039846264904
Leavitt, during her press briefing, said that the media was 'actively rooting' against US President Donald Trump's peace efforts.
"One thing that has absolutely not changed is the media's negative and downright false coverage of President Trump and his foreign policy accomplishments. From the beginning of this entire process, much of the left-wing media has been actively rooting against the president of the United States in the pursuit of peace," she said.
Leavitt said that the media had falsely claimed that Trump suffered defeat after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even though the meeting was meant to test the waters before going forward.
"Initially, the media ridiculously claimed that President Trump was somehow beholden to Russia for even agreeing to have a face-to-face discussion with President Putin inside the United States. The media said President Trump was making a grave mistake by " legitimising Putin. They were aghast that President Trump would treat another world leader like a world leader. The media relentlessly attacked President Trump and claimed he suffered a 'major defeat' for not immediately emerging with a final agreement. Even though he said heading into that meeting, this was a meeting to listen and to understand how to move the ball forward," she said.
It is worth noting here that ahead of his August 15 talks with Putin, Trump threatened that Russia would face "severe economic consequences" if Putin didn't show interest in de-escalating the Ukraine conflict.
Leavitt continued her plaints, saying that the 'clueless pundits', who back the spending of thousands of taxpayer dollars on the war with no end in sight.
"All weekend following those historic US-Russia bilateral talks, we listened to clueless pundits on television trying but failing to claim that the president had failed. The so-called experts in the foreign policy establishment whose record is nothing but endless wars, trillions of wasted taxpayer dollars, and dead Americans have the nerve to try and lecture President Trump, who has solved seven global conflicts in seven months about peace. It was, this is the same president, by the way, who brokered the Abraham Accords in his first term on top of more than half a dozen other peace deals this year alone," she said.
Leavitt further said that the meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Leaders were a successful one.
"As I just said, we also saw yesterday the president of Ukraine and all of the other major leaders of Europe fly across the Atlantic Ocean to meet President Trump at the White House because of the progress that was made and that, if you ask the media, failed meeting, but it was not. It was highly productive and it was successful," she said.
Leavitt said that the media's actions undermine the President's efforts.
"This is why Americans' trust in the mass media is at a lowest point in more than five decades. Diplomacy is a delicate process and instead of reporting the facts about what is happening here at this White House and what is happening between this president and other leaders around the world, many outlets in this room continue to try to actively undermine the president and sabotage the efforts towards peace. That is why I felt the need to set the record straight," she said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As someone who follows international politics closely, I must say the media has been incredibly unfair to Trump's diplomatic efforts. The Abraham Accords were a massive achievement that many said was impossible. Why not give credit where it's due?
From Indian perspective, we understand the importance of dialogue between world leaders. Modi ji also believes in direct engagement. Media should support peace efforts instead of creating obstacles. War benefits no one except arms dealers.
While I appreciate the push for peace, I think the White House should also acknowledge that healthy skepticism from media is part of democracy. Not every critical question is "rooting against peace." Balance is important.
The world needs more leaders who are willing to talk to adversaries. Look at how India maintains relationships with multiple sides. Media should report, not dictate foreign policy. Trump's approach might actually work where others failed.
American taxpayers' money should be spent on helping Americans, not endless wars. If Trump can bring peace and stop the bleeding of resources, more power to him! Media should be asking why previous administrations failed so badly.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.