Leavitt's Remarks Spark Outrage, Calls for Resignation

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt engaged in a heated on- and off-camera exchange with HuffPost reporter S.V. Dáte—replying “Your mom did” to a question about who picked Budapest for a Trump–Putin meeting and later posting screenshots calling him a “far left hack.” On Fox News, after questions about New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani, she said “The Democrat party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals,” a remark critics say crossed into incitement. A roughly 20‑second clip of her Fox comments went viral and drew widespread outrage and calls for her resignation, including from Rep. Greg Casar. Leavitt doubled down on Sean Hannity’s show, repeating claims that Democrats favor taxpayer-funded benefits for undocumented immigrants and that hospitals prioritize legal immigrants over U.S. citizens—assertions contradicted by fact checks. She framed her actions as pushing back against partisan media bias, while opponents say her rhetoric undermines White House norms and stokes political division.