Leavitt pulls back the curtain on Trump's 'tense,' unfiltered private talks with Putin, Xi, Starmer

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described President Donald Trump’s approach to high-stakes diplomacy in a new interview Tuesday, recounting tense phone calls with foreign adversaries and a lunch with former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Speaking on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast, Leavitt recalled how Trump spoke bluntly with foreign leaders during calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as with allies like Starmer."I sat in on a lunch with the president and Starmer.And we're sitting around the table, and we're all enjoying lunch.

And we were in this beautiful place.And the president just starts ripping into him for his policies," Leavitt said.TRUMP SAYS UK'S STARMER WILL RESIGN, WISHES HIM WELL AMID REPORTS OF PM'S POLITICAL FUTUREU.S.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14, 2026, in Beijing, China.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)"He's like, ‘Your policies here are so stupid.

You need to close your borders,’" Leavitt added."’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 said Trump takes the same candid approach with allies and adversaries and argued that what he told the media about his conversations with foreign leaders mirrored what happened behind closed doors.TRUMP WAS A 'CAGED LION' ROARING TO RETURN TO WHCA DINNER BALLROOM AFTER SHOOTING, LEAVITT SAYS"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," Leavitt said.Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks onstage during the second day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at American Airlines Center on Sept.

10, 2026, in Dallas, Texas...