US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday praised White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for strongly criticising sections of the media for what she described as “false” and “negative” reporting on President Donald Trump’s peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In a post on X, Vance wrote, “Karoline Leavitt is lighting the American media up for lying about our negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.”
During a press briefing, Leavitt accused the media of “actively rooting” against Trump’s foreign policy 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.
She argued that Trump’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was misrepresented by the media as a failure, despite Trump stating beforehand that it was intended as a preliminary discussion.
“Initially, the media ridiculously claimed that President Trump was somehow beholden to Russia for even agreeing to meet Putin. They said he made a grave mistake by ‘legitimising’ him. Then they claimed he suffered a ‘major defeat’ for not emerging with an immediate deal, even though he had made clear the meeting was exploratory,” Leavitt said.
Ahead of the August 15 talks, Trump had warned Russia of “severe economic consequences” if President Putin refused to show interest in de-escalation.
Leavitt also attacked “clueless pundits” for criticising Trump while supporting continued US spending on the war. She highlighted Trump’s track record of peace deals, including the Abraham Accords, and claimed he had “solved seven global conflicts in seven months.”
She added that Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House was “highly productive,” despite media portrayals of it as a failed effort.
Leavitt concluded by accusing the media of eroding public trust and undermining diplomacy.
“This is why Americans’ trust in the mass media is at a lowest point in more than five decades. Instead of reporting facts, many outlets continue to actively sabotage the president’s efforts toward peace. That is why I felt the need to set the record straight,” she said.