Leavitt Recounts Trump's Candid Diplomacy with Putin, Xi, and Starmer

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has shared insights into former President Donald Trump's private diplomatic engagements, characterizing his conversations with foreign leaders as direct and unfiltered.

In an interview on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast, Leavitt recounted instances of Trump engaging in tense phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as a direct lunch with former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Leavitt described a lunch with Starmer where Trump critiqued his policies. "He's like, ‘Your policies here are so stupid. You need to close your borders,’ Leavitt said, recalling Trump's comments. “You need to deport these people you have in your country. I know your country, I know your people, they hate what you're doing.’”

Leavitt asserted that Trump's private discussions align with his public statements. "What he says to the media publicly is exactly what he's saying behind the scenes privately, too. In fact, much of what he says privately at some point is going to become public when he speaks to the press, because he's just candid, and he's honest," she stated.

During high-stakes phone calls with Putin and Xi, Leavitt characterized the discussions as "tense" and "very straightforward." She noted that while Trump might use profanity in general conversation, his translator-assisted calls with these leaders were direct and professional.

Leavitt detailed Trump's firm stance on fentanyl precursors originating from China during a meeting with Xi Jinping. "The president was very honest about the fentanyl coming into the country and the precursors to the fentanyl that were manufactured in China. And he brought that up as a sticking point and said, ‘You have to do something about that,’" she recalled. Leavitt added that this led to an announcement from Kash Patel that these precursors would no longer be exported to the U.S., stating, "he demanded results on behalf of our country, and he made sure that they were delivered upon."

Trump also advocated for increased Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans to support American farmers, a request that Leavitt said was subsequently fulfilled.

Leavitt announced her departure from her role as White House Press Secretary in August to focus on her family, having given birth to her second child in May. In a post on X, she described her tenure as "the honor and adventure of a lifetime" and expressed gratitude to Trump for the opportunity to speak on his behalf at the White House podium, highlighting her role in discussing the administration's accomplishments and holding the media accountable.