Karoline Leavitt is known less for her substance than her stance. In a text correspondence with a journalist that she herself shared on X, she treated professional manners as personal inconvenience

It was her destiny to take on-the-job courtesy as affront-to-self and Karoline Leavittt did not disappoint. When asked recently about a major geopolitical decision, she responded with the intellectual rigor of a comeback typically heard in a playground, not in the corridors of political power: “Your mom did.” It’s just three, short words, but the brevity became its own headline. Ms Leavitt offered not a throwaway zinger, but a terse manifesto of deflection, immaturity, and, clearly, contempt for the role of the press. In a single personal quip, she trivialised a reporter’s inquiry about international diplomacy, and officially etched her legacy onto the pedestal of the preposterous.

A reporter from Huffington Post, S.V. Dáte, had asked Ms Leavitt about the decision to hold a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest, the seat of power of prime minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as a staunch supported of Mr Putin. The question was grounded in journalistic duty: seeking clarity, accountability, or rationale. But instead of engaging with the substance, she detonated a rhetorical smoke bomb. When Mr Dáte asked if she thought what he had asked to be “funny,” she hit back: “It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic]. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously, including your colleagues in the media, they just don’t tell you that to your face. Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bullshit questions.” We do not need to unpack the depth of hostility.

In a single quip, she trivialised a reporter’s inquiry about international diplomacy, and officially etched her legacy onto the pedestal of the preposterous

It’s like asking her why she repeatedly wears made-in-China clothes, and she responds by saying, “Your mom made me do it”! It’s the kind of flippant, deflective tone that turns a legitimate question into a punchline. When public figures respond to serious inquiries with sarcasm or juvenile insults, it undermines the purpose of press queries and erodes trust in the institutions they represent. Instead of addressing the substance of the question, the response becomes a personal jab that deserves to be publicised, dodging accountability entirely. It’s a tactic that might play well with a certain audience, but it does little to foster transparency or respectful discourse. Ms Leavittt must have thought her zinger was very clever.

If the press secretary’s primary role is to communicate with clarity and respect, then “Your mom did.” might be the most eloquent resignation letter ever penned The only problem is, for all her eloquence, she speaks to an audience of one, and HE will not accept her resignation! She was using his language, his kind of snap-back, and he probably loved it. What might sound like a resignation letter to the rest of the world is, in fact, a love letter to her boss. “Your mom did.” was not a gaffe; it was the gospel from the book of Donald. It was loyalty in his native tongue. Mr Trump made no comment on Ms Leavitt’s remark. He was probably too busy lapping it up.

The X post was so self-satisfying that Karoline Leavittt must have it framed and hung on a White House wall

To him, “Your mom did” wasn’t a breach of decorum; it was a mic drop. It was proof that his press secretary speaks fluent Trumpese: combative, unserious, and unapologetically theatrical. While the rest of us saw a moment of professional collapse, he witnessed loyalty, flair, and a headline that would dominate the news cycle. In that sense, Leavitt wasn’t failing; she was succeeding exactly as intended. Her supporters even lauded her for bringing in “Gen-Z energy” to the White House, affirming that candour is preferred to courtesy. In Ms Leavitt’s world, honesty is truly replaced by lies, respect by contempt, fairness by discrimination (look at what she just called the Democrats!) and responsibility by irrationality. Social media has turbocharged the erosion of courtesy in public discourse. It’s not just the platform; it’s the incentives baked into it: outrage.

Since we’re on the subject of mothers, Ms Leavittt is a mother herself; she made sure you know that in all her introductions in the special media. She has a young son, slightly older than a year. It is unclear if she would like a grown-up version of him to be spoken to that way or if he were the one asking a sincere question—perhaps in a classroom, or one day as a young journalist—to be met with sarcasm and personal insinuation. The use of a school canteen insult like “Your mom did” in a professional setting creates a perceived disconnect between the standards of conduct she might teach her child and the standards she employs in her job. If the Internet never forgets, what digital legacy is she leaving behind for her child, her family, and future generations? One day, Karoline Leavitt’s son will be old enough to scroll through X and see for himself that moment. Would it be pride or cringe when he reacts, “Yes, my mom did”?

Photo collages: Just So