"In a Fox News interview about the White House's response to the rise of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Leavitt broadly characterized Democrats' main constituency "made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals," remarks that drew immediate pushback. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the comments "unacceptable" and "dangerous," while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said they erode trust and civility in public discourse."
"Later in the week, during a White House press briefing, Leavitt fielded a question from HuffPost about President Trump's upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Attempting humor, she responded with a "your mom" quip alongside National Security Council Senior Director Stephen Cheung. Media critics described the joke as "juvenile" and noted it undercuts the professionalism expected from a press secretary. Observers note that the pair of incidents - partisan accusations on Fox and middle-school-style humor in the briefing room - have reinforced concerns about the tone of official White House communications. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow called Leavitt's Fox comments "a deplorable moment," highlighting how senior officials' words can quickly dominate headlines and social media. Leavitt has not issued further clarification, leaving critics and political opponents to question whether the White House is prioritizing viral soundbites over substantive messaging."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized Democrats' main constituency as "made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals" during a Fox News interview about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries labeled the remarks "unacceptable" and "dangerous." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the comments erode trust and civility in public discourse. Later, during a White House briefing, Leavitt and NSC Senior Director Stephen Cheung responded to a HuffPost question about a Trump-Putin summit with a "your mom" quip. Media critics called the joke juvenile and said the incidents raise concerns about prioritizing viral soundbites over substantive messaging. Leavitt has not issued further clarification.
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