House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sharply criticized White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday, calling her “sick” and “out of control” after she described Democrats as being aligned with “terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.”
“You’ve got Karoline Leavitt, who’s sick. She’s out of control,” Jeffries told reporters while speaking to reporters in Capitol Hill on the 17th day of the government shutdown. “And I’m not sure whether 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 makes no sense.”
Jeffries: “ And then you got Karoline Leavitt, who’s sick. She’s out of control. And I’m not sure whether she’s just demented, ignorant, a stone-cold liar, or all of the above…The notion that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party consists of… pic.twitter.com/mWDRjVFxqq
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) October 17, 2025
Leavitt’s original remarks took place during a Fox News interview on Thursday. There, she said: “this interview proved that the Democratic Party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals.” The interview she was referring to was one with Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, who declined to say whether Hamas should disarm under Trump’s proposed ceasefire deal.
Leavitt said Mamdani’s response is evidence of what she called Democrats’ alignment with “extremist” elements, adding that President Trump and Republicans “stand up for law-abiding Americans”.
Jeffries’ comments were not the only ones made on Friday regarding Leavitt’s interview. Minnesota Governor and former 2024 vice presidential nominee Tim Walz went on X to share his two cents:
Most Republicans are good people. Most Democrats are good people.
The White House says outrageous things to make you hate your neighbor.
Your neighbor isn’t the problem. The White House is. https://t.co/pkjrafRaEk
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) October 16, 2025
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas went even further, suggesting on X that Leavitt should resign and claiming that the Trump administration is trying to “make us hate each other to distract from the fact that they’re robbing us all blind. It’s sick.”
Karoline Leavitt should resign.
They try to make us hate each other to distract from the fact that they’re robbing us all blind.
It’s sick.https://t.co/pAzF5g0jJR
— Congressman Greg Casar (@RepCasar) October 16, 2025
Jeffries’ rebuke came as he was addressing reporters about an unrelated issue — a swastika discovered on a flag in the office of Rep. Dave Taylor, a Republican from Ohio. Taylor said his office was one of several targeted by an unidentified group that distributed altered American flags bearing the symbol.
Jeffries said he had not been briefed on the incident but called it “a matter of deep concern,” adding that “we’ve already seen a rise in political violence and hatred in America.”
Originally published on Latin Times
