White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt unleashed a fierce salvo on Thursday, branding critics of President Trump’s upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin as “pathetic” and little more than bitter losers with empty credentials.
Appearing on Fox & Friends, Leavitt targeted former national security adviser John Bolton by name, asserting that such “so-called experts” have “zero accomplishments on their own resumes to point to” and sneering that “President Trump knows what he’s doing.”
The summit, set for Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, an unlikely meeting spot that once belonged to the Russian Empire, could mark a pivotal moment in the global chessboard. Trump has dangled a ceasefire in Ukraine as possible if Putin agrees to a peace deal, following a July ultimatum that drew alarm across Western capitals.
Bolton, who served under Trump during his first term and departed acrimoniously, warned ahead of the summit that “Putin has already won,” arguing that simply securing a photo-op on U.S. soil gives the Russian leader a triumph in itself.
The comment enraged Trump, who blasted Bolton as a “fired loser” and “really dumb person” on his Truth Social platform, accusing the “very unfair media” of repeatedly quoting career critics like him. “We are winning on EVERYTHING,” Trump declared, mocking Bolton’s claim that the Alaska summit was a concession.
During the Fox appearance, host Lawrence Jones asked Leavitt how she’d respond to media voices and fired Trump aides who suggested he might be embarrassed in Alaska. Leavitt shot back that she wouldn’t be “so kind” and launched into her blistering verbal assault, “…such as John Bolton, who I think has made a disgrace of himself on television and in the newspapers, claiming that he knows better than President Trump. No, he doesn’t, and neither do any of these so-called foreign policy experts who have never solved a foreign policy conflict in their lives.”
She added that criticisms dropped by pundits who have no major achievements to their names are just noise undermining the administration’s authority.
Just imagine if Biden had said this:
Trump: “I’m going to see Putin. I’m going to Russia on Friday.”
Trump is going to Alaska on Friday — which has not been part of Russia since 1867.
Where the hell are you, @jaketapper? Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/lSdJyO6mzf
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) August 11, 2025
The White House’s tone shows a broader strategy, casting doubt on career diplomats and critics while elevating Trump’s own diplomatic instincts. Supported by growing domestic tensions and escalating tension in Eastern Europe stakes, the summit is portrayed as a bold, high-wire gambit, one where failure or embarrassment is not an option.
European leaders and Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, continue to fret over the optics and substance of the Alaska meeting. Trump has shown signs of openness to territorial swaps in Ukraine, language swiftly rejected by Kyiv. At the same time, the Kremlin’s calculated praise of the summit has sparked cautious commentary, with Putin applauding Trump’s “sincere” efforts and hinting at discussions on nuclear arms control. Critics warn the summit could reinforce Putin’s aggressive narratives while sidelining both Western allies and Ukraine itself.
As the clock ticks down to Friday’s face-off between the two leaders, Trump insists he’s in the driver’s seat and “winning on everything,” while Leavitt continues to vow that no critic, no matter how loud, will derail Trump’s America’s agenda. The diplomatic chess match is underway, and Leavitt’s scorched-earth messaging makes clear what this administration is waging in more ways than one.
