Not many world leaders appear as natural and at ease in the White House as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán did on Friday while meeting US President Donald Trump in what proved to be a highly successful summit. The meeting, held in an extraordinarily friendly atmosphere, featured a particularly light-hearted moment—an exchange between Orbán and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt—which quickly went viral on social media.
During a joint press conference ahead of their working lunch, Trump was asked about the government shutdown and the cost of living. After a heated exchange between the president and a reporter, Trump invited Leavitt to reinforce his point. The press secretary promptly launched into a strong critique of the media for their coverage of the economy.
‘It’s very unfortunate that the reporters in this room refused to address, sir, what you just said, that you inherited the worst inflation crisis in modern American history, and you are fixing it in ten short months,’ Leavitt said. ‘Your entire administration has been tasked with this effort, from the Treasury Department to the 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 record time, putting more money back into the American people’s pockets.’
Leavitt added that ‘affordability is what the American people elected this president to deliver’. ‘And he is doing it. And you refuse to cover it. You refused to cover that the previous administration created the worst unaffordability crisis in American history. I’ve been watching television 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,’ she concluded.
At that point, Orbán interjected, jokingly asking Trump if he could hire Leavitt, clearly impressed by the press secretary’s composure and rhetorical skill. ‘You know, that’s a very good decision you’ve just made,’ Trump quipped in response, turning to Leavitt and adding jokingly: ‘Please, don’t leave us, Karoline.’
A clip of the exchange was later shared on X by the official Trump War Room account and reposted by Leavitt. The press secretary captioned her post: ‘Thank you, Prime Minister Orbán, for being so kind, but I’m staying right here!’ Her repost has since garnered 3.5 million views and 35,000 likes. Orbán replied on his official account: ‘Sorry to hear that, but I understand. Keep up the good work!’ His response also attracted significant attention, with 2 million views and around 40,000 likes.
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