MSNBC host claims Karoline Leavitt looked ‘ashen and frightened’ after Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin

WASHINGTON, DC: MSNBC anchor Antonia Hilton suggested that members of Donald Trump’s team looked visibly shaken following the president’s high-stakes meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Speaking on-air Saturday, August 16, Hilton highlighted that Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, was described by journalists as appearing “ashen, almost frightened” immediately after the summit’s press conference.

MSNBC host Antonia Hilton says Karoline Leavitt appeared ‘ashen and frightened’ after Alaska summit

Antonia Hilton directed her question to former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, asking whether such reactions from senior staff indicated deeper problems with what transpired behind closed doors.

“A lot of the press corps that was there reported in the minutes and hours after the presser that they saw members of the administration, like Karoline Leavitt, look ashen, almost frightened after what they had seen behind closed doors. What did that indicate to you?” she asked.

McFaul did not hold back in his assessment, suggesting that the visible unease among Trump’s aides pointed to a summit that was far worse than the administration was publicly acknowledging.

“Well, first, we should all be glad we didn’t go to Alaska, because I was in Helsinki with you. And I was in Geneva when President Biden met. They traveled a long way for nothing in return,” McFaul said, adding, “To your point, they’re trying to spin it, although they’re not even trying to spin it. That’s a really interesting thing.”

He continued, recalling his own experiences: “When I worked at the White House and we would have meetings like this, I was the SAO — the senior administration official — that would call up journalists, that would call The New York Times to say, ‘This is what was discussed,’ to push it this way. They’re not even attempting to do that because they know they don’t have anything to work with.”

Former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul questions Donald Trump’s gains from ties with Vladimir Putin

Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul expressed skepticism about Trump’s ongoing relationship with Russian President Putin, arguing that years of engagement have produced no clear benefits for the United States.

“I was trying to think of a time with all of this engagement, with all this friendship and the clapping when he comes up that President Trump has done, both in his first term and now in his second term. Is there one tangible thing that the American people have gotten out of all of that? Are we more secure? Are we wealthier? Are we defending our values better?” McFaul asked.

“I can’t think of one deliverable, as we used to say in the State Department, that we’ve achieved from that strategy,” he added.

The two leaders met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, where they shook hands on the tarmac before sharing a car to the summit. Trump described the discussions as “extremely productive,” while acknowledging that “we didn’t get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there.”

Karoline Leavitt’s ‘frightened’ appearance after Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin sparks online debate

Online users lit up after reports that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared “ashen, almost frightened” in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

One user mocked, “MAGATS, your Dear Leader traveled 8,000 miles for nothing. LOL.”

Others pointed to Trump’s repeated claims about Ukraine. “Trump said 53 times that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, or before. Trump lied,” one person wrote.

Another added, “Trump openly admitted there was no deal and no real progress made. So what we have here is a giant waste of time, and Putin strutting around on American soil laughing at everyone. Anyone with a brain knows that Putin thinks Trump is a total and complete moron incapable of even basic thought.”

“To your point, they’re trying to spin it, although they’re not even trying to spin it,” one commenter noted.

Another elaborated, “Exactly. Naturally Trump is desperately trying to spin it as a huge success, a ‘10 of 10.’ It’s all hush-hush though — we can’t reveal anything. But in reality, it’s all bullsh!t. He’s accomplished nothing that will end the Ukraine/Russia war, only appeasement and giving Putin everything he wants.”

The reactions also targeted Trump’s base. “MAGAts are easily frightened,” one user quipped, referencing Leavitt’s visibly shaken appearance.