‘Your mom’ politics take over Trump administration
4 Min Read
Trump officials mock reporters with “your mom” insults as the White House and Pentagon embrace an increasingly combative and unprofessional tone.
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White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, from right, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth listen as President Donald Trump meets in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, October 20, 2025, in Washington (AP)
A series of unprofessional exchanges between Trump administration officials and members of the press has drawn criticism after top spokespeople resorted to schoolyard insults such as “your mom” in response to legitimate media inquiries.
The controversy began with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s exchange with HuffPost correspondent S.V. Date, who texted her last week asking whether President Donald Trump was aware of the historical significance of Budapest, the site of an upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Date noted that the Hungarian capital was the location of the 1994 agreement under which Ukraine surrendered its inherited nuclear arsenal in exchange for Moscow’s promise not to use force against it, a pledge later broken by Russia.
'Your mom did'
Leavitt replied to Date’s question with, “Your mom did.” When the reporter followed up, asking if she found the comment funny, Leavitt doubled down: “It’s funny to me that you actually consider yourself a journal [sic]. You are a far left hack who nobody takes seriously… Stop texting me your disingenuous, biased, and bulls–t questions.”
After HuffPost published a story describing the White House’s “wild response,” Leavitt shared screenshots of her messages with Date on X, labeling him a “left-wing hack” who “constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points.” She added, “Activists who masquerade as real reporters do a disservice to the profession.”
For context, S.V. Dáte of the Huffington Post is not a journalist interested in the facts. He is a left-wing hack who has consistently attacked President Trump for years and constantly bombards my phone with Democrat talking points.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 20, 2025
Just take a look at @svdate’s feed, it reads… https://t.co/NxWn2mdUsa pic.twitter.com/v7owI5N4us
HuffPost stood by its correspondent. “Ms. Leavitt clearly wouldn’t recognize fact-based journalism from the broad side of a barn,” spokesperson Lizzie Grams told The Post. “We look forward to receiving a professional answer to our reporter’s detailed question.”
'Your mom', yet again
The incident quickly spiraled beyond the White House, as other Trump officials appeared to mimic Leavitt’s tone. When HuffPost later inquired about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tie, whose red, white, and blue stripes resembled the Russian flag, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell replied: “Your mom bought it for him — and it’s a patriotic American tie, moron.”
Hegseth had worn the tie during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent visit to the White House, earning praise from Russian state media and a senior aide to Vladimir Putin. When asked about the US flag code, which discourages the use of the flag as clothing, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson responded that Hegseth was “a patriot who reveres this country and our flag.”
The repeated “your mom” responses, including from White House communications director Steven Cheung, who echoed Leavitt’s remark with the same phrase, have fueled criticism that the administration has embraced an unserious, combative communication style.
President Trump recently revived the term “Department of War” to describe the Pentagon, though Congress has not formally approved any such change. The broader pattern of juvenile language from top officials, however, signals a growing tendency within the administration to blur the line between governance and online trolling, essentially reducing official discourse to partisan mockery in place of policy substance.
Cost and criticism
Renaming the Pentagon is expected to be costly, involving updates to signage, stationery, and military installations worldwide. Critics argue the move is unnecessary and will distract the US military at a time of ongoing global crises.
Defense Secretary Hegseth defended the decision, stating that the change is "not just about words — it's about the warrior ethos."
The issue also reflects longstanding debates. An earlier effort by former President Joe Biden to rename US Army bases that honored Confederate figures was projected to cost $39 million before being reversed this year by Hegseth.
Although agency renaming requires congressional approval, Trump’s Republican Party holds slim majorities in both chambers. Several GOP lawmakers, including Senators Mike Lee and Rick Scott and Representative Greg Steube, introduced legislation on Friday to make the change permanent.
