White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a performance on Fox News that left even seasoned political watchers stunned — not just for what she said, but how far she was willing to go in defense of President Donald Trump.
Her latest outburst came as Trump ramped up his attacks on New York mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani, vowing to withhold funds from the city. Leavitt, ever the loyal soldier, followed his lead with a tirade so venomous critics said it blurred the line between political messaging and open incitement.
The vitriolic attack on Democrats came after she was asked about a video in which the front-runner in New York’s mayoral race, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, refused to say he thinks Hamas should disarm.
A furious Leavitt didn’t hold back, sinking to the lowest level of any White House press secretary in modern history debasing Democratic voters and even seeming to lay the groundwork for future arrests as she tried to stoke violence against them.
“The Democrat party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals. That is who the Democrat party is catering to,” she sputtered with a grin lighting up her face.
“Not the Trump administration, not the White House and not the Republican party who is standing up for law abiding Americans, not just across the country but around the world,” she screeched.
The 20-second clip of Leavitt’s comment immediately went viral on social media. Just one post on Threads garnered over 5,000 comments. Another on X garnered another 7,000 plus comments.
The outrage was loud, some even called for her termination.
“Karoline Leavitt should resign,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar on X. “They try to make us hate each other to distract from the fact that they’re robbing us all blind. It’s sick.”
“These are new levels of propaganda. Even the tone and cadence of her voice is giving authoritarian vibes. This is so so so very bad for our country,” Alex Amaro Music worried in a post on Threads.
Levitt’s gleeful demeanor didn’t help matters one bit.
“And she’s laughing! This woman should be put in a clinic with locked doors. That’s not funny, not tragic, it is not a healthy person.,” observed one user on Threads of Leavitt’s bizarre behavior.
“Most Republicans are good people. Most Democrats are good people,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz added. “The White House says outrageous things to make you hate your neighbor. Your neighbor isn’t the problem. The White House is.”
Even Republicans were shocked by Leavitt’s rhetoric, “I can’t believe she said this. Registered Republican for 47 years. This is nuts.”
Plenty of people on social media called for a lawsuit against such inflammatory talk and the clear stoking of political violence while others are waiting for the day when Trump and his administration are held accountable.
“As a Democrat, we should file a class action suit against Fox News for inciting violence against us on their airwaves daily,” Threads user Meidas Kelly suggested.
“KaroLyin! Absurd. In a few years one can only hope her and her ilk will be investigated and charged. Treason sounds good,” added another.
Mamdani sparked controversy this week after an interview on Fox News in which he declined to directly answer whether Hamas should disarm and step aside in Gaza. When pressed by host Martha MacCallum, Mamdani said, “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety and the fact that anything has to abide by international law, and that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military and that applies to anyone you could ask me about.”
His response quickly drew backlash from critics who accused him of sympathizing with terrorists, while supporters argued his remarks were being taken out of context and reflected a consistent call for peace and legal accountability on all sides. The moment was especially notable given Mamdani’s prominence as one of the most outspoken progressive voices in the U.S. on the war in Gaza over the past two years.
Leavitt went on to say Trump is the one who wants peace and “freed Palestine.”
Israel and Hamas have a very fragile peace deal in place brokered by the Trump administration and other Arab countries, and it’s unclear whether the agreement will hold.
Leavitt’s comments also come just weeks after the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk and calls from numerous Republicans to scale back inflammatory political rhetoric.
