If there were a test for political decency, Karoline Leavitt would’ve failed it in record time. The Trump White House press secretary just delivered one of the most openly antisemitic and deranged statements of the year on live television, but Hakeem Jeffries didn’t let it slide.
Leavitt appeared on Fox News this week to comment on the ongoing shutdown, federal layoffs, ICE arrests, and upcoming Trump-Putin meeting. While at it, she was also asked to comment on the channel’s interview with New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who controversially declined to call for Hamas to lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza. But instead of addressing that nuance, Leavitt saw a fresh opportunity for bigotry.
“Well, that’s a classic case of ‘I don’t want to answer the question because I know it’s wildly unpopular in the Democrat Party,'” she sneered. But her comments that followed reek of dishonesty and pure hatred and landed her in public scrutiny. She outrageously said:
“This interview proved that the Democrat Party’s main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
That smear, blending antisemitic tropes with MAGA fear-mongering, immediately ignited backlash across social media. It wasn’t just a sick comment, but it exposed her racist dog whistle wrapped in Fox-friendly language. However, none said it better than House Minority Leader Jeffries, who unloaded on Leavitt from the steps of the U.S. Capitol. “You’ve got Karoline Leavitt, who’s sick, she’s out of control,” he remarked and continued:
“I’m not sure if she’s just demented, ignorant, a stone-cold liar, or all of the above. But the notion that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party consists of terrorists, violent criminals, and undocumented immigrants — this makes no sense. This is what the American people are getting from the Trump administration in the middle of a shutdown.”
Jeffries described Leavitt’s remarks as part of a larger pattern of moral decay on the far right. Talking about “Swastikas appearing in Republican offices,” “Young Republicans engaging in the most antisemitic and racist speech possible,” and an unmistakable rise in political violence, Jeffries pointed out how Trump’s troops are “ripping their sheets off in plain view of the American people.”
His bold response exposed how Trump’s White House isn’t merely incompetent, but actively normalizing hate. When the administration’s spokesperson brands an entire political party as terrorists, it becomes more than just political rhetoric; It’s a clear incitement of hate and violence against their political rivals.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
