'Verbal slip-up': White House forced to correct the record

12 August

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt listens to a question from a reporter during a press briefing in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded multiple questions on Tuesday after President Donald Trump, during a Monday press conference, repeatedly claimed he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Friday.

There is some fringe controversy in Russia over Alaska—some falsely claim the United States’ 1867 Alaska Purchase was actually a 99- or 100-year lease and technically now belongs to the Russian Federation and not to the United States.

Controversy also swelled on Monday as critics quickly concluded that Trump’s claims that he is meeting President Putin in Russia were evidence of a diminishing mental capacity.

Although not mentioning the Russia slip-up, popular American historian Heather Cox Richardson on Monday night wrote: “Trump’s performance at the press conference—an event for which his handlers would have made sure he was at the top of his game—made it clear that his mental deterioration is moving rapidly.”

American historian Timothy Snyder did mention the Trump-Russia-Alaska snafu.

Pointing to a video titled, “Trump says he’s meeting with Putin in Russia, but their summit is in Alaska,” Professor Snyder wrote: “Russia has been making a claim to Alaska for years. I was meaning to predict they would exploit this but waited because I thought [they] would wait until the day [of the meeting] itself to use it to deride Trump. But he’s using it against himself and ahead of schedule.”

The Washington Spectator’s Dave Troy, who has written in-depth on several occasions about Russia and Putin, remarked on Tuesday: “The reason Putin wants to meet in Alaska is because he wants it back. He thinks because it’s former Russian territory he’s psyop-ing and dominating Trump.”

At the White House on Tuesday, a reporter asked Leavitt: “The President said at the podium yesterday—twice—that he was planning to go to Russia. Was that a verbal slip-up, or does he actually plan to go to Russia?”

“Perhaps,” Leavitt replied, “there are plans in the future to travel to Russia. On Friday, the President will be meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, as you know.”

Asked again by a reporter, this time about the choice of Alaska, Leavitt was forced to reiterate that Alaska is not in Russia.

“There were many sites discussed,” she said, “but of course Alaska is a state within the United States of America, so the President is very honored and looks forward to hosting President Putin on American soil.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

From Your Site Articles